Department for Transport

East Midlands Rail Franchise: Standards

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how he plans to ensure the reliability of services for passengers on the East Midlands franchise during the period when the InterCity125 trains are overhauled in 2019 to 2020 as planned in the franchise consultation released on 20 July 2017.

Paul Maynard: Officials are in dialogue with East Midlands Trains to ensure that any future fleet changes secure the specified passenger service requirement.

Railways: Standards

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to work with the rail franchises to ensure greater reliability for passengers.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Transport sets franchised train operators challenging targets for train punctuality and reliability, which are reinforced in more recent franchises by financial incentive mechanisms. The Department works closely with operators during the course of their franchises to monitor delivery and if necessary to ensure remedial action is taken if performance falls short of plan.

Aviation: Egypt

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to lift the ban on flights from the UK to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Mr John Hayes: My officials have regular discussions with UK airlines and others about flights from Sharm el Sheikh. My aviation security experts continue to work closely with their Egyptian counterparts on the ground, sharing their expertise in establishing effective security arrangements. We look forward to achieving the return of flights to Sharm el Sheikh, once we can be assured of there being the necessary secure and sustainable security situation.

Aviation: Egypt

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of safety on international flights to Sharm el-Sheikh.

Mr John Hayes: My Department carries out regular assessments of aviation security at all last points of departure airports to the UK from Egypt. It is long standing government policy not to comment in detail on security matters. However the Government works closely with international partners, including airlines, airports and the Egyptian Government, on security standards. Global aviation security arrangements are kept under constant review.

Roads: Accidents

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the (a) number and (b) nature of road traffic incidents recorded at the junction of Harwich Road and the A120 east of Colchester and at Pellens Corner nearby over the last 12 months; and how many times the ambulance service has been required to attend those incidents.

Jesse Norman: Validated collision data for 2016 is expected to be made available by the Department for Transport on the 28th September 2017. Data for 2017 will not be available until June 2018. However, validated data is available for the three year period 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015 for the A120 Pellens Corner, including the Harwich Road junction and can be broken down as follows:   YearSeverityFatalSeriousSlight20130412201415122015015

Northern Rail: Rolling Stock

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Northern Rail trains on the Harrogate line in the last 12 months had two carriages.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Transport does not hold this level of information.

Aviation: Tickets

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) effect on passengers and (b) extent of airlines overbooking flights; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The Government undertook impact assessments regarding Regulation (EC) 261/2004, which covers passengers’ rights in the event of denied boarding, at the point of its initial negotiation, and as part of subsequent efforts to reform the Regulation. Both of these issues were within the scope of that assessment. To protect consumers, financial penalties on the industry through regulation has provided a deterrent to overbooking. In addition the Government and the CAA have introduced an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme into the sector, which now covers more than 70% of passengers. We have also begun the process of developing a new strategy for UK aviation. This strategy will put the consumer back at the heart of our thinking and ensure that the sector is delivering for consumers and the country as a whole.

Wales and Borders Rail Franchise

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department received from the Welsh Government on the transfer of functions necessary to procure the next Wales and Borders rail franchise before the end of the existing franchise agreement.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department made to the Welsh Government on the transfer of functions necessary to procure the next Wales and Borders rail franchise before the end of the existing franchise agreement.

Paul Maynard: The UK Government agreed in principle to devolve the Wales and Borders franchise in November 2014 so that the Welsh Government could lead on procurement of its replacement in October 2018. My officials have regular discussions with Welsh Government officials on rail franchise devolution issues. The Department will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government to facilitate its ongoing procurement process and to finalise the arrangements for the devolution of the Wales and Borders franchise, including transfer of franchising functions, over the next few months.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to procure more Class 700 trains.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Transport has no plans to procure additional class 700 trains. Rolling stock procurement is a matter for individual franchises.

Rolling Stock: Disability

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the rail industry's preparedness for all UK rolling stock to be compliant with the Persons of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability by 31 December 2019.

Paul Maynard: This Government recognises how important improving access to public transport is for disabled people and is committed to making transport more inclusive. However, it is the responsibility of the rolling stock operator to ensure its trains meet modern accessibility standards by 31 December 2019, including the Persons of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability. The Department is liaising regularly with the industry on the progress being made on upgrading stock built before 1999 and currently 70% of all trains in operation were either built to or have been refurbished to meet accessibility standards.

Home Office

Acids

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on transactions involving substances listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1A to the Poisons Act 1972 which may be used both as an explosive precursor and as an offensive weapon.

Sarah Newton: The Poisons Act 1972 requires a supplier to report any relevant transaction(s) that they deem to be suspicious that involve substances listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1A.Our policy is based on the following key strands:Effective partnerships with relevant trade associations, suppliers and online retailers to help them understand which products are within scope of the Act, what action they should take to ensure compliance. Working with them and providing guidance to ensure they are able to spot and report suspicious transactions in a timely fashion.Effective law enforcement by providing guidance to police officers on identifying non-compliance, preventing attacks, searching potential perpetrators for harmful substances and responding to victims at the scene.Identifying where less harmful alternatives are available which achieve the same legitimate use.Ensuring legislation covering the use of substances listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1A to the Poisons Act 1972 including acid and other corrosives is fit for purpose, that it is understood and consistently applied.

Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to commence the appointment process for the second Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner; and what criteria will be used to assess applicants.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the process is for the appointment of the independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

Sarah Newton: The first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner was appointed by Government on a three-year fixed term contract which ends later this year. Decisions in relation to this appointment will be taken in accordance with the New Public Appointments Governance Code published on 16 December 2016.

Knives: Yorkshire and the Humber

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the reported figures are on knife crime in each of the last five years in (a) Calderdale, (b) Kirklees, (c) Bradford, (d) Leeds and (e) Wakefield.

Mr Nick Hurd: The information requested is not centrally held by the Home Office. The Home Office collects data on the number of knife offences recorded by the police forces in England and Wales, by police force area only. Data on these offences at the police force area level can be found in the Home Office Knife Crime Open Data Tables, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Police: North West

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much compensation was paid to police officers by (a) Lancashire, (b) Greater Manchester, (c) Cumbria, (d) Merseyside and (e) Cheshire Constabulary in each month between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2017; how many officers received compensation from each constabulary listed; how much was paid to each police officer; and what the reason was for each award.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold this information.

Motorcycles: Road Traffic Offences

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times police officers requested permission for squad cars to pursue a moped in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016; and on how many occasions such permission was denied by senior police officers.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not collect data on the number of times police officers have requested permission to pursue mopeds, nor on the outcome of any such requests. Decisions on how to enforce road traffic offences, including on when to initiate a pursuit, are operational matters for the police, taking into account each particular set of circumstances. Any general policy within a force is a matter for the force’s Chief Officer, who will decide how to deploy available resources in dealing with all the issues for which the force is responsible, taking into account any specific local problems and demands.

Immigration

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Supreme Court judgment of 22 February 2017 and her Department's subsequent pause on decision-making on certain settlement applications, (a) how many of those applications are waiting to be processed, (b) what the average amount of time taken to process each application is and (c) what the timetable is for coming to a decision on all of those applications.

Brandon Lewis: The temporary hold in place on applications with which the Supreme Court judgment was concerned was lifted on 10 August when changes to the Immigration Rules came into effect. As of 30 June 2017, there were around 5000 such applications on hold which are now being decided in accordance with the new Immigration Rules. We are unable to estimate how long it will take to consider the paused applications as it will depend on the individual circumstances of each case. More information regarding UK Visas and Immigration service standards can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about-our-services

Electronic Surveillance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to comments made by the former Director of GCHQ Robert Hannigan on the BBC's Today programme of 10 July 2017, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of wider use of equipment interference warranty in conjunction with Section 253 notices requiring technology companies to maintain a capacity to provide access to individual devices as an alternative to any new Section 253 requirements on such companies to maintain a capacity to provide decrypts of messages sent using their communications software.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Government is committed to working with telecommunications operators to ensure that the security and intelligence agencies and law enforcement are able to access the data they need to protect the public.In due course the Government will commence the provisions of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 concerning technical capability notices and will bring forward regulations, on which we have already held a targeted consultation with relevant bodies. These regulations will set out the obligations which can be imposed on telecommunications and postal operators by such a notice.

Poisons: Sales

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how section 3(1)(c) of the Poisons Act 1972 is enforced for online retailers.

Sarah Newton: The Poisons Act 1972 requires a supplier to report any relevant transaction(s) that they deem to be suspicious that involve substances listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1A.Our policy is based on the following key strands:Effective partnerships with relevant trade associations, suppliers and online retailers to help them understand which products are within scope of the Act, what action they should take to ensure compliance. Working with them and providing guidance to ensure they are able to spot and report suspicious transactions in a timely fashion.Effective law enforcement by providing guidance to police officers on identifying non-compliance, preventing attacks, searching potential perpetrators for harmful substances and responding to victims at the scene.Identifying where less harmful alternatives are available which achieve the same legitimate use.Ensuring legislation covering the use of substances listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1A to the Poisons Act 1972 including acid and other corrosives is fit for purpose, that it is understood and consistently applied.

Crimes of Violence: Acids

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to identify the specific chemicals being used in corrosive substance attacks.

Sarah Newton: We are working closely with the National Police Chiefs' Council to identify what corrosive substances and chemicals are being used in attacks and to restrict access to these harmful products.

Asylum: Children

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children have been transferred to the UK under the Dublin III Regulation since January 2017; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Dublin Regulation allows unaccompanied children who have claimed asylum in another Member State to be transferred here to have their asylum claim assessed if they have a qualifying family member legally present in the UK and transfer would be in their best interests. In order for the Dublin Regulation to apply, an unaccompanied child must first claim asylum in the Member State in which they are located and that Member State must issue a Take Charge Request to the UK.The Government has committed to publishing regular updates on the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children transferred to the UK from Europe. This data will be published in the coming months. Statistics on transfers under the Dublin Regulation are already available here:http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Asylum_quarterly_report Asylum statistics are published quarterly in the Home Office Immigration Statistics release, which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017/how-many-people-do-we-grant-asylum-or-protection-to

Asylum: Children

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the number of children is who were transferred under the Dublin III Regulation in 2016 by nature of the relative they were reunited with.

Brandon Lewis: At present we do not publish data on cases covered by the Dublin Regulation. Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, regularly publishes Member State figures, which can be found at:http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Dublin_statistics_on_countries_responsible_for_asylum_applicationThe Government has committed to publishing regular updates on the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children transferred to the UK from Europe, including those transferred under the Dublin Regulation. This data will be published in the coming months.

Animal Experiments: Cats

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Table 4 of the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain, 2016, what the experiments carried out on the 190 cats were.

Mr Ben  Wallace: 138 cats were used for basic research: 24 for cardiovascular blood and lymphatic systems research; 18 for musculoskeletal systems; 24 for endocrine system and metabolism research; one for nervous system research; and, 71 for multisystemic research.52 cats were used for translational research into animal diseases and disorders. These animals were used for: studies on domestic cat nutrition and dentistry; investigation of physiology and natural disease and its prevention; and, vaccine studies.

Animal Experiments: Primates

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Table 2.3 of the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain, 2016, how her Department ensures that the colonies from which 1,739 primates used for the first time in experimental procedures in 2016 originate are self-sustaining.

Mr Ben  Wallace: On 1 January 2013, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 was amended to transpose European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The amended legislation does not grant Home Office inspectors entitlement to inspect overseas facilities. The Home Office expects all establishments to exercise due diligence when acquiring non-human primates as set out in the published guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291350/Guidance_on_the_Operation_of_ASPA.pdf

Animal Experiments: Primates

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the primates used in experimental procedures in 2016 were F1, born from wild parents, or F2 greater, born from parents who were also born in captivity; and how she plans to monitor the reduction in F1 primates that should occur if the colonies are truly self-sustaining.

Mr Ben  Wallace: All primates used for the first time in experimental procedures in 2016 were either F2 or greater or from self sustaining colonies. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 defines a colony of animals as a self sustaining colony if:(a) the colony is kept in captivity in a way that ensures the animals are accustomed to humans;(b) the colony consists only of animals that have been bred in captivity; and(c) the colony is sustained only by animals being bred within the colony or animals being sourced from other colonies that meet paragraphs (a) and (b).

Animal Experiments: Primates

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many primates used in experiments for the first time in 2016 came from Asia or Africa; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that there is a reduction in the importation of monkeys for research.

Mr Ben  Wallace: In 2016 652 non-human primates used for the first time in scientific research came from Asia and 1,525 came from Africa.The Home Office ensures that animals are only used when necessary and under strict controls which keep suffering to the minimum necessary. Any research that is licensed has undergone a thorough harm-benefit analysis including ensuring that the planned work fully implements the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement).

Animal Experiments: Primates

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken to reduce the use of monkeys in regulatory testing for human medicines since 2016.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office ensures that animals are only used when necessary and under strict controls which keep suffering to a minimum. Any research which we licence must undergo a thorough harm-benefit analysis including ensuring that the planned work implements the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement).

Poisons Act 1972

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to amend the Poisons Act 1972; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: On 16 July 2017, the Home Secretary announced that there will be a review of the Poisons Act 1972 to help combat the horrendous crimes that are being committed on our streets. This work, done in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and the Police Service is ongoing; details of which will be released in due course.

Acids: Sales

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had since 16 July 2017 with retailers on restriction of sales of acids and other corrosive substances.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on sentencing and other powers available to the courts to deal with assaults using acid or other corrosive substances.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what new guidance has been provided to police officers since 16 July 2017 on (a) preventing attacks with acid or other corrosive substances, (b) searching potential perpetrators for harmful substances and (c) responding to victims at the scene of assaults in which such substances have been used.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken since 16 July 2017 to ensure that appropriate support is provided to victims of acid or corrosive attacks.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to improving police recording and reporting of offences involving acid or corrosive substances since 16 July 2017.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on the strategy for reducing the number and impact of acid attacks announced on 16 July 2017.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken since 16 July 2017 to (a) ensure that victim impact statements are completed by the police in every case of assault involving acid or corrosives and (b) encourage the police to prepare community impact assessments showing how such attacks have affected communities.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research her Department has commissioned into the motivations for carrying out attacks with acids or corrosive substances.

Sarah Newton: Good progress is being made in delivering the Government’s action plan to tackle the use of acid and other corrosive substances in violent attacks. The action plan published in July puts victims and survivors at the heart of our response. We are working closely with Department of Health in relation to support for victims of acid attacks, mapping out the current service provision to ensure that it is used effectively. NHS England has also just published new advice to the public on what to do in the event of being caught up in an acid or corrosive attack. The police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in their guidance have highlighted the importance of victim personal statements and community impact statements. It is vital that such statements are made and put to the court so we can ensure the court is fully aware of the impact of these offences on individuals and communities. We have made clear that police and prosecutors should be actively considering the need for special measures in these cases to enable victims and survivors to give their best evidence in court. The CPS and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead have committed to highlighting this to police and prosecutors. The NPCC lead has produced first responder advice for officers on how to respond to an acid attack and additional investigative guidance is currently being produced. The NPCC lead is also commissioning a further data collection with all police forces and is working with the Home Office to improve the data collection. We are developing a set of voluntary commitments for retailers to restrict access to the most harmful corrosive products. We are currently discussing the commitments with the British Retail Consortium. We are also undertaking work to review the Poisons Act 1972. We are also working with the Ministry of Justice to assess whether the sentencing powers available to the courts reflect the seriousness of these crimes. The Sentencing Council has recently issued a clarifying note which makes it clear that the use of a corrosive substance is a factor that shows high culpability on the part of the offender and would indicate a greater level of offence seriousness which should be reflected in sentencing. In addition the Sentencing Council are developing a new guideline on possession of dangerous weapons and threats to use them, which is likely to include the use of acid as a weapon. The Home Office and NPCC lead will shortly be commissioning further research to look at the range of motivations for these attacks. I will be writing to MPs very shortly with a comprehensive update on progress with the action plan.

Asylum: EU Law

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the UK will continue to apply the Dublin III Regulation when the UK leaves the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The UK’s future co-operation with the EU on the area of asylum and migration will be a matter for the negotiations. The UK remains fully committed to co-operation with Member States of the EU on migration and asylum.

Refugees: Children

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the July 2017 report by Christine Beddoe on separated and unaccompanied minors in Europe, whether the Government plans to create safe travel routes for those minors with a family member in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: Safe travel routes from unaccompanied children from Europe to the UK are already in place. Our family reunion policy allows a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country.In addition, the Dublin Regulation allows unaccompanied children who have claimed asylum in another Member State to be transferred here to have their asylum claim assessed if they have a qualifying family member legally present in the UK and transfer would be in their best interests. In order for the Dublin Regulation to apply, an unaccompanied child must first claim asylum in the Member State in which they are located and that Member State must issue a Take Charge Request to the UK. The UK is working closely with other Member States as well as intergovernmental organisations and NGOs to ensure the effective operation of the Dublin Regulation.

Refugees: Children

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether officials are working with French authorities to ensure that unaccompanied child refugees in France have information about their legal rights and options.

Brandon Lewis: UK and French officials are working together to review the processes and procedures in place for the provision of information to children in northern France.The primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French authorities. The UK cannot operate on the territory of another sovereign nation without a specific request to do so.

Human Trafficking

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the results of the evaluation of the National Referral Mechanism pilot will be announced.

Sarah Newton: The National Referral Mechanism pilot tested a new model for identifying and referring victims, processing cases and making effective decisions. An evaluation of the pilot has now been completed, and the findings will be published in due course.

Refugees: Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many councils have (a) ended their involvement in the voluntary national transfer scheme to take child refugees and (b) suspended involvement in the Dubs Scheme.

Brandon Lewis: The National Transfer Scheme was launched on 1 July 2016 and has been working to ensure a fairer allocation of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) across the UK. A significant number of local authorities have participated in the scheme and enabled the transfer of children away from local authorities with a disproportionate number of UASC in their care. The Government welcomes all offers from local authorities with capacity to look after unaccompanied asylum seeking children. We will continue to engage with local authorities across the country to encourage further participation. The Government will also utilise all offers to fulfil all of our existing commitments including the transfer of children to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Pubs Code Adjudicator: Standards

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Margot James: The office of the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) is up and running. Tenants are raising issues and queries with the PCA and referring cases to him under the Code. The PCA recently published data following the first year of operation. As of 26 July 2017, the PCA has accepted 156 referrals for arbitration and has made awards in 48 cases. Further information is available on the GOV.UK website. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State is appointing a Deputy Pubs Code Adjudicator due to the large number of pub tenants and companies engaging with the Pubs Code.

Public Houses: Codes of Practice

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many breaches of the Pubs Code have been reported to him by the Pubs Code Adjudicator since that code was enacted.

Margot James: The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) is not obliged to report breaches of the Pubs Code to my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State, but he is required to report if pub owning businesses are engaging in unfair business practices. The PCA has not reported any such practices to the Secretary of State. The PCA is also required to publish an annual report which sets out the number of arbitrations and investigations conducted by the Adjudicator and the number of awards made. The annual report for 2016/17 is available on the GOV.UK website.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many former clients of the Pubs Code Adjudicator are the responsibility of the Adjudicator for regulation.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people covered by the responsibility of the Pubs Code Adjudicator were clients of that Adjudicator prior to that Adjudicator taking up his current appointment.

Margot James: The details of individual arbitrations are confidential. The Pubs Code Adjudicator does not share these details with the Department and it would not be lawful for him to do so. The Pubs Code Adjudicator has set out their conflicts of interest policy which is available on GOV.UK.

Public Houses: Codes of Practice

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Pubs Code in meeting the objectives that have been set for it.

Margot James: The Pubs Code is an important piece of legislation that is helping pub tenants get a fairer deal. From the first year data released by the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) it is encouraging to see people are aware of, and beginning to exercise their rights under the Code and are contacting the PCA Enquiry Line for more information. In the first 12 months since the Pubs Code became law the PCA has accepted 156 cases for arbitration and made awards in 48 cases. The PCA Enquiry Line has received more than 550 enquiries over the past year.

Public Houses: Rents

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on how many market rent only agreements have been offered by pub owning companies to pub tenants as a result of the outcome of an adjudication by the Pubs Code Adjudicator since July 2016.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the cost of each deed of variation that pub-owning companies have offered to pub tenants since the Pubs Code was enacted.

Margot James: The Department does not hold this information.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many cases of adjudication the Pubs Code Adjudicator has considered since July.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average length of time is for the Pubs Code Adjudicator to complete an adjudication case; and what has been the (a) longest and (b) shortest time taken by the Pubs Code Adjudicator to complete such a case.

Margot James: As of 26 July 2017, the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) has accepted 156 referrals for arbitration and has made awards in 48 cases. Further information is available on the GOV.UK website. The PCA’s annual report sets out the time taken to complete the arbitration process. As of 31 March 2017, the PCA had 130 cases under consideration. Of these cases: 17 had been in the process for less than 1 month; 22 for between 1 and 3 months; 79 for between 3 and 6 months; and 12 cases for longer than 6 months. The annual report for 2016/17 is available on the GOV.UK website.

Competition: Unfair Practices

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recourse is available to companies which share key business information confidentially with a potential buyer company and find that information used against them by a market competitor.

Margot James: Breaching the terms of a confidentiality agreement is a matter for the courts to enforce.

Public Houses and Pubs Advisory Service

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent meetings he has had with representatives of (a) pub tenants and (b) the Pubs Advisory Service.

Margot James: Officials have regularly engaged and held meetings with representatives of pub tenants and the Pubs Advisory Service since the Pubs Code came into force.

Competition Appeal Tribunal: Standards

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Competition Appeal Tribunal against its objectives since that Tribunal was established.

Margot James: The Competition Appeal Tribunal is a specialist judicial body which functions independently of Government. Each year the Tribunal publishes its Annual Report and Accounts outlining its performance.

Competition Appeal Tribunal: Public Appointments

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much was spent on the recruitment process for the members of the Competition Appeal Tribunal appointed on 20 July 2017.

Margot James: Due to commercial sensitivities we would not publish the exact costs that have been agreed with external providers but any costs incurred by Public Appointment processes are always carefully considered to ensure value for money. The Department also makes use of free resources to advertise opportunities, such as the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website.

Competition Appeal Tribunal

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has received representations on the (a) decisions made by (b) the process adopted by and (c) the members of the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Margot James: The Competition Appeal Tribunal is an independent body. Under the Enterprise Act 2002 my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State is responsible for making the Tribunal rules and appointing members to the Tribunal. The Secretary of State has not received representations on (a) decisions made by (b) the process adopted by and (c) the members of the Tribunal.

Competition Appeal Tribunal: Business Interests

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the register of interests of the members of the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Margot James: Biographical details of the members of the Tribunal and details of their other activities are published on the Tribunal website (http://www.catribunal.org.uk/246/Personnel.html) and each year in the Tribunal’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Competition Appeal Tribunal: Operating Costs

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to the public purse was of the Competition Appeal Tribunal in each year since it was established.

Margot James: In line with National Audit Office requirements, the Competition Appeal Tribunal publishes an Annual Report and Accounts setting out its yearly expenditure. The report is available publically and can be found on the Tribunal website (http://www.catribunal.org.uk/248/Publications.html).

Competition Appeal Tribunal

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many cases were considered by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in each month since it was created.

Margot James: The Competition Appeal Tribunal was created under the Enterprise Act 2002. Since its creation, the Tribunal has considered 268 cases in total. The Tribunal does not hold data for the number of cases considered each month as cases normally run over a period of months. Instead the Tribunal holds data for the number of cases considered each year. Details about the number of cases considered each year can be found on its website. (http://www.catribunal.org.uk/237/all/2/Cases.html)

Consumers: Protection

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to strengthen the powers of consumer enforcement bodies.

Margot James: The powers available to consumer enforcement bodies were recently updated. The Consumer Rights Act (CRA) came into force 1 October 2015 and has given consumer enforcement bodies the power to obtain collective redress for consumers in the civil courts. Trading Standards Officers have a range of additional powers dependent upon the legislation they are enforcing. These include the power to require traders to produce documents relating to their business and powers to seize and detain goods and documents in certain circumstances.

Energy: Pre-payment

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to introduce a new duty on energy companies to set out a timetable to reduce the number of people on prepayment meters.

Margot James: There are no are plans to introduce a new duty on energy companies to set out a timetable to reduce the number of households paying for their energy by prepayment meter.While data published by Ofgem in its Domestic Suppliers’ Social Obligations annual reports showed prepayment meters have historically been installed to repay debt, the latest report published last year, showed that in 2015 there was evidence of increasing consumer demand for prepayment meters.This demand appears to be driven by smart meters operating in pay-as-you-go mode, which are transforming consumer experience of pre-payment metering. Topping up a smart meter in pay-as-you-go mode is as easy as topping up a mobile phone, with no need to access the meter. Being able to see an account balance on an easily accessible In Home Display reduces the risk of pre-payment customers accidently self-disconnecting from their energy supply when they run out of credit. This Government is committed to ensuring every home and small business in the country is offered a smart meter by the end of 2020.

Social Services: Working Hours

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many meetings his Department has had with representatives of the care sector on the payment of sleep-in shifts for care workers.

Margot James: Over the past year, I have held four meetings with representatives of social care providers as well as representatives of care workers. Departmental officials have also had a number of meetings with representatives of both care providers and workers.

Competition and Markets Authority

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish a position paper on the future of the Competition and Markets Authority and its role in investigating multinational mergers after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: There are no plans at this stage to publish a position paper on the future of the Competition and Markets Authority and its role in investigating multinational mergers after the UK leaves the EU.

BMW: Iron and Steel

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on how much British steel will be used by BMW to manufacture the e-Mini at Cowley.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

BMW: Iron and Steel

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has made to BMW on the use of British steel to construct the e-Mini at Cowley.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Iron and Steel

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish his Department's paper, Future Capabilities of the UK Steel Sector.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government's policy is for carbon capture and storage.

Claire Perry: The Government will set out further detail on its policy for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the Clean Growth Strategy, which will be published shortly.

Whisky: Scotland

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing the Scotch whisky industry with a sectoral deal to promote its competitiveness and growth.

Margot James: As part of the Industrial Strategy Government we are supporting sectors across the economy to grow, invest and reach their potential. Our new approach challenges sectors to upgrade through “Sector Deals” - an ‘open door’ challenge to industry to come to us with proposals to transform their sector. In June 2017 my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association welcoming their intention to develop proposals for a sector deal for the Scotch Whisky sector. We look forward to working closely with the sector.

Energy: Billing

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to introduce an energy price cap.

Margot James: The detriment to retail energy customers on poor value standard variable tariffs, which was identified by the Competition and Markets Authority as averaging £1.4bn a year, must be addressed. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to the Chief Executive of Ofgem asking him to advise on what action the regulator intends to take to safeguard consumers on the poorest value tariffs and to consider the future of standard variable tariffs. The Secretary of State will consider further action in the light of Ofgem’s proposals and remains prepared to legislate if necessary.

Small Businesses: Glasgow East

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support micro-enterprises in Glasgow East constituency.

Margot James: Support for businesses in Scotland is largely a devolved matter, and https://www.mygov.scot/business provides advice to people starting, running and growing a business, including a section on funding and grants in Scotland. In addition, British Business Bank (BBB) programmes are supporting finance to smaller businesses. Since November 2014, BBB programmes have facilitated around £2.2m* to 71 businesses in the constituency of Glasgow East. This includes 49 start-up loans totalling over £250,000.Alongside designing and delivering programmes through its partners, the British Business Bank works to promote the provision of better information in the market to increase smaller businesses’ understanding of the finance options available to them. The Business Finance Guide (http://www.thebusinessfinanceguide.co.uk/bbb ) sets out the different sources of finance available to businesses – from start-ups to SMEs and growing mid-sized companies.In order to support innovation by small businesses, Innovate UK awarded 99 projects to SMEs in Scotland with a commitment of £16.7 million in 2016/17.Small businesses in Scotland also benefit from UK-wide initiatives to encourage investment, for example the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme. If they have business premises, small businesses will also benefit from the Small Business Bonus Scheme and receive 100% relief on their rates bill for property valued below £10,000.  *This does not include ENABLE funding data as this is not available at a constituency level.

Energy: Billing

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what equality impact assessment his Department has undertaken on the introduction of a cap on energy bills; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

Margot James: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the CEO of Ofgem on 21 June asking him to advise on what action the regulator might take to protect consumers on the poorest value tariffs and to consider the future of standard variable tariffs. The Department has not undertaken an equality impact assessment on the introduction of a cap on energy bills. The Secretary of State will decide on how to proceed when he has considered Ofgem’s proposals.

Energy: Billing

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what distributional analysis his Department has undertaken on the introduction of a cap on energy bills; and if he will place a copy of that analysis in the Library.

Margot James: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the CEO of Ofgem on 21 June asking him to advise on what action the regulator intends to take to safeguard consumers on the poorest value tariffs and to consider the future of standard variable tariffs. The Secretary of State will decide on how to proceed, including on whether any additional analysis is necessary, when he has considered Ofgem’s proposals.

Consumers: Public Consultation

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish the Consumer Law Green Paper.

Margot James: The Government will in due course publish a Green Paper that will closely examine markets which are not working fairly for consumers.

Foreign Companies

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to (a) publish the outcome of the Government's consultation and (b) introduce legislation on property ownership and public contracting by overseas companies and legal entities.

Margot James: The responses to the call for evidence are currently being analysed and a response will be published in due course.

Comite Europeen de Normalisation and Comite Europeen de Normalisation Electrotechnique: Membership

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department plans for UK membership of the CEN and CENELEC committees after the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) are not EU bodies, although they have a special status in the EU. We are working with BSI, the UK’s national standards body and the UK member of CEN and CENELEC, to ensure that our future relationship with CEN and CENELEC continues to support a productive, open and competitive business environment in the UK.

Certification Quality Marks

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the UK will continue to mandate the use of the CE mark for goods sold in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: The UK wants to ensure a smooth and orderly exit that provides legal certainty and minimises disruption to citizens, consumers and businesses across Europe in terms of the availability of goods. It will be important that business and consumers are confident that goods on the market and in use across the UK and EU comply with relevant product legislation.The Government is currently reviewing all options regarding CE marking for goods sold in the UK after the UK leaves the EU. We have three aims: to provide confidence to business and consumers that goods on the market and in use across the UK and the EU comply with relevant product legislation; provide legal certainty; and minimise disruption to citizens, consumers and businesses across Europe in terms of the availability of goods.

Toys and Games: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to stop the sale of counterfeit toys online.

Joseph Johnson: The Government works closely with online retailers to detect and remove counterfeits from sale, and this work to tackle counterfeit toys and games by Trading Standards has been highlighted as best practice with European Partner agencies. The UK’s Border Agency, Border Force, also detains items at UK ports suspected of being counterfeit and works closely with other Government departments, enforcement agencies and trusted private sector partners to share intelligence and take action against those responsible.According to statistics shortly to be published by the UK’s IP Crime Group in their Annual Report, 26% of local authorities in the UK investigated counterfeit toys, an increase compared to the previous years. Across the EU nearly 7 million counterfeit toys, games and sporting articles were seized in 2016/17.

Directors: Incentives

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's paper, Corporate Governance Reform, published on 29 August 2017, whether companies will be required to make a full disclosure of executive bonus payments and how they are paid.

Margot James: The Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, as amended in 2013, already require quoted companies to disclose remuneration received by directors as a result of the achievement of annual performance measures.

Business: Pay

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's paper, Corporate Governance Reform, published on 29 August 2017, whether the publication of pay multiples will apply solely to the CEO of a company.

Margot James: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Business: Pay

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's paper, Corporate Governance Reform, published on 29 August 2017, whether annual pay ratio reporting will require the reporting of exact pay and remuneration.

Margot James: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Business: Pay

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's paper, Corporate Governance Reform, published on 29 August 2017, what representations he has received on the proposal for the Investment Association to maintain a public register of listed companies that experience shareholder opposition to pay awards.

Margot James: The register will bring together publicly available data on quoted companies’ shareholder voting records and any actions taken by companies to address significant shareholder dissent on individual resolutions. As the representative body for a large proportion of the UK’s investment community which votes on such resolutions, the Investment Association is well placed to establish and maintain the register. In its response to the Government’s green paper consultation on Corporate Governance Reform the Investment Association set out its intention to maintain a public register of quoted companies that experience significant shareholder dissent on executive remuneration resolutions.

Energy: Billing

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether legislation is required to implement the Government's proposed cap on household energy prices.

Margot James: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has written to the Chief Executive of Ofgem asking him to advise on what action the regulator intends to take to safeguard consumers on the poorest value tariffs and to consider the future of standard variable tariffs. The Secretary of State will assess whether further action is necessary once he receives Ofgem’s proposals. Ofgem already have extensive powers which would allow them to establish a price cap on household energy prices, but new legislation would be required in order to oblige Ofgem to put such a cap in place. The Secretary of State remains prepared to legislate if necessary.

Business: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to support businesses in Stafford constituency.

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to increase the level of access to credit for businesses in Stafford constituency in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized businesses in Stafford constituency.

Margot James: We are working hard to support businesses and entrepreneurs across the UK to ensure they can access finance and wider support to grow and the right conditions are in place for companies to invest for the long-term.Small businesses in Stoke and Staffordshire can access support through GOV.UK and the Business Support Helpline. The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub also acts as the first port of call for local businesses seeking advice or support. Since its launch in May 2014, the Stoke and Staffordshire Growth Hub has engaged and supported 4340 businesses and it has helped 385 individuals to start up a new business.Since November 2014, British Business Bank programmes have facilitated over £4.3m* to 87 businesses in the constituency of Stafford. This includes 54 Start-up Loans at a value of £415,957.Stafford constituency is also part of the Midlands Engine. A key part of the Government’s strategy for fuelling growth in the region is the £250m Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), which is a result of close collaboration between the British Business Bank, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Communities and Local Government and 10 Midlands Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). It aims to transform the finance landscape for smaller businesses in the Midlands, accelerate economic growth and promote job creation. The Fund launched its first wave, £120m of Debt and Small Business funds, at the end of August. *This does not include ENABLE funding data as this is not available at a constituency level.

Social Services: Working Hours

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, under what provisions enforcement activity on the payment of sleep-in shifts by social care providers was temporarily suspended until 2 October 2017.

Margot James: The suspension announced on 26 July is temporary; it does not change workers’ legal entitlement to their arrears of pay for any underpayments of the National Minimum Wage. The relevant enforcement power in the National Minimum Wage Act, to issue notices of underpayment, is discretionary. The suspension is consistent with this and is in line with the Government’s NMW enforcement policy on sleep-in shifts in the social care sector, as set out in a statement made on 26 July 2017. Workers may continue to enforce their rights through employment tribunals and the courts while the suspension is in force.

Energy: EU Law

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to (a) ensure and (b) monitor implementation of Article 10 Financial incentives and market barriers of Evaluation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of people in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry South constituency will be covered by the Government's proposals to safeguard customers on the poorest value tariff.

Margot James: Ofgem is considering options to protect vulnerable consumers and has yet to announce a formal proposal.

Small Businesses

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises are not adversely affected as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Margot James: Ministers and officials have engaged extensively on EU exit with businesses and trade bodies across all regions of the UK. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has been meeting regularly with the five main employer bodies, including the Federation for Small Business. We want to achieve the best possible outcome and the strongest possible partnership - one that works for UK businesses. We plan to be ambitious in the upcoming negotiations and will secure the best possible access for firms to trade with and operate in the European market.

Trading Standards: Wales

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding his Department has allocated to Welsh trading standards offices to tackle counterfeit electrical goods being imported into Wales.

Margot James: National Trading Standards receive £13.24 million per year from BEIS to prioritise and coordinate national and cross-local authority boundary enforcement in England and Wales, including action to stop the sale of counterfeit electrical goods. National Trading Standards ‘Operation Jasper’ resulted in the seizure of over £1m in counterfeit goods including luxury brands, dangerous electrical equipment and unsafe cosmetic products in 2016. This included an operation by Swansea Trading Standards to target commercial vehicles carrying counterfeit goods.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nuclear Disarmament

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the joint statement signed by the UK, the US and France on 7 July 2017, for what reasons the new ban treaty risks undermining the existing international security architecture; and what steps he has taken to promote the effectiveness of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Sir Alan Duncan: I refer to my answer of 20 July 2017 (PQ 5948). The UK is a strong supporter of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and peaceful uses of nuclear technology which are central to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Our role in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action addressing the Iranian nuclear programme, in the UN Security Council to take action in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile programme, and more broadly our support for the International Atomic Energy Agency are all important contributions to promoting the effectiveness of the NPT.

Diego Garcia: Ilois

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, under what circumstances Chagossians are allowed to visit the graves of their ancestors and East Point Plantation on Diego Garcia.

Sir Alan Duncan: Chagossians can only visit the Territory as part of an official heritage visit. There are organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Territory’s Administration.

Uganda: Politics and Government

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) promote free and fair elections and (b) support democratic institutions in Uganda.

Rory Stewart: ​The UK regularly engages with all relevant partners – including the government, parliament, political parties, the Electoral Commission, the National Human Rights Commission and civil society - to encourage them to put in place the necessary conditions for free and fair elections. The UK also funds programmes which support improvements to Uganda’s democratic governance, including election monitoring.

Colombia and Venezuela: Visits Abroad

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans Ministers of his Department have to visit (a) Colombia and (b) Venezuela in the next 12 months.

Sir Alan Duncan: Ministerial visits are under constant review. Our Embassies in Colombia and Venezuela continue to support and represent UK interests in those countries.

Sanctions

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which countries currently have sanctions imposed upon them as part of UN or EU obligations; and if he will publish what form those sanctions take.

Sir Alan Duncan: As part of our membership of the UN and EU, the UK imposes sanctions regimes relating to activity in Afghanistan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic, China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Republic of Guinea, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, Yemen and Zimbabwe.The form of these sanctions regimes varies greatly. Further detail can be found via Her Majesty's Treasury and the Department for International Trade pages on the GOV.UK platform, in addition to publicly available information on the UN and EU websites.

Prisoners: British Nationals Abroad

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens were serving custodial sentences in EU member states in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015 and (g) 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: We collect global detainee statistics each year to provide a snapshot of the number of British nationals in detention overseas. We were aware of the following number of British nationals detained (either pre- or post- sentencing) across EU member states, at the snapshot date, in each of the requested years:2010: 8952011: 7652013: 7562014: 7692015: 8082016: 777

Mexico: Death and Missing Persons

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Mexican Government on the investigations of the death of Javier Valdez and the disappearance of 43 students in 2014.

Sir Alan Duncan: Officials at our Embassy in Mexico City have expressed our serious concerns about the murder of Mexican journalist, Javier Valdez to the Mexican Government . We have supported calls by the EU for a prompt and transparent investigation by the Mexican authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to ensure the protection of all journalists at risk.The Government has also been clear in expressing its deep concerns about the Ayotzinapa case since the disappearance of the 43 students in September 2014, doing so most recently when Baroness Anelay visited Mexico in December last year. We will continue to monitor developments in both cases closely and press the Mexican Government to continue the investigations and support the families of those affected.We have offered technical support to the Special Prosecutor for crimes against Freedom of Expression and the Deputy Attorney General for Human Rights to build their capacity to investigate such crimes.

Nagorno Karabakh: Civilians

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to civilian conflict prevention and peace building in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) supports civilian conflict prevention and peace building in Armenia and Azerbaijan through projects funded by the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). Recent projects have included financial support for mine clearing activities and independent news websites offering impartial news coverage in the South Caucasus. We are also engaged through our support to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) monitoring mission.

Nagorno Karabakh: Civilians

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of reports of civilian deaths near the line of contact separating Armenian and Azeri troops in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK was concerned by the escalation in violence on 4 July that resulted in two civilian deaths and one wounded in the Azerbaijani settlement of Alxanli. The UK regrets the loss of life in the conflict and continues to urge the sides to exercise restraint and work with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Central European University

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Hungarian Government and (b) his counterparts in the EU on the future of the Central European University in Budapest.

Sir Alan Duncan: Neither the Foreign Secretary nor I have recently discussed this issue with our Hungarian or EU counterparts. However, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials continue to discuss the matter as part of our regular discussions with the Hungarian Government.

Chechnya: LGBT People

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the report, published by the Russian LGBT network on 31 July 2017, on the widespread detention and torture of LGBT people in the North Caucasus republic of Chechnya.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are aware of conflicting reports as to whether the state-sponsored purge of the LGBT community in Chechnya has continued. We remain in close touch with the Russian LGBT Network and, together with our international partners, are monitoring any new reports of the detention and torture of LGBT people in Chechnya. We condemn all such crimes, and continue to urge the Russian authorities to fulfil their commitment to carry out a full and thorough investigation to ensure that the perpetrators of previous persecution are brought to justice.

Islamic State: Military Intervention

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 2 March 2017 to Question 65626, whether the Government plans to continue to provide quarterly updates to the House on military action against ISIL in Syria during the 2017 Parliament.

Alistair Burt: It remains the intention of the British Government to continue to update the House regularly on the progress of the counter Daesh campaign in Iraq and Syria.

Iran: Christianity

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Iran on that Government's treatment of Christians.

Alistair Burt: I last raised concerns about the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities, including the detention and treatment of Christians, with the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi during my visit to Tehran on 5 August.

UK Membership of EU

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department made prior to the EU referendum being held of the administrative and travel costs of renegotiating the UK's membership with the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: We do not hold central records of this data.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK-based staff of his Department there were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015, (g) 2016 and (h) 2017.

Sir Alan Duncan: On 31 March of each year listed, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had the following numbers of UK-based staff:2010: 4990 2011: 4786 2012: 4576 2013: 4836 2014: 4609 2015: 4469 2016: 4295 2017: 4499Up until 31 March 2016 our staff numbers included staff working for UK Trade and Investment (now Department for International Trade). The 31 March 2017 figures include 223 staff working in roles funded by cross-Whitehall programmes.

Syria: International Relations

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has been invited to attend the meeting of a new contact group on Syria at the UN in New York in September 2017.

Alistair Burt: ​President Macron has announced his intention to convene a contact group to discuss Syria at the United Nations in New York in September. We are in regular touch with our French counterparts on this and other issues, as part of our close cooperation on Syria.

Israel: Bedouin

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli Government on the removal of citizenship from people living in Bedouin communities in Israel.

Alistair Burt: We are closely following the situation of Bedouin communities in the Negev, and continue to encourage the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to engage in dialogue to agree a satisfactory solution to these issues, respecting the rights of the people affected.

Burma: Foreign Relations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met his counterpart in Myanmar; and what was discussed at that meeting.

Mark Field: ​My Rt Hon Friend the Foreign Secretary met his counterpart Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma during his visit in January 2017 and during Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to the UK in May 2017. On both occasions they discussed a range of issues, including the situation in Rakhine State and the Burmese Peace Process.

Cabinet Office

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to introduce legislation to provide for votes for life for UK citizens living abroad.

Chris Skidmore: As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to legislating to scrap the 15-year rule and will do so in time for the next scheduled parliamentary general election in 2022.

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to extend overseas voting rights for life.

Chris Skidmore: As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to legislating to scrap the 15-year rule and will do so in time for the next scheduled parliamentary general election in 2022.

Public Sector: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2017 to Question 5399, on public sector: procurement, how the response that the information on whether a certificate of past performance is self-certificated is not stored centrally accords with Annex F of Public Procurement Note of 25 March 2015 which says that a copy of the certificate, including the Name of Entity Providing the Certificate, must be sent to the Crown Commercial Service.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not recorded centrally. To compile the data would require retrieving and analysing each individual certificate, and to do this would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Young People: Gower

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many 18 to 25-year olds in Gower constituency are recorded (a) in the latest census estimate and (b) on the electoral register.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response to PQ6930
(PDF Document, 152.17 KB)

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Holly Lynch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has plans to introduce legislative proposals to allow Britons living abroad for longer than 15 years to vote in UK elections; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to legislating to scrap the 15-year rule and will do so in time for the next scheduled parliamentary general election in 2022.

GDS Advisory Board

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the GDS Advisory Board minutes for the first and second quarters of 2017 have not been published.

Caroline Nokes: The last meeting of the GDS Advisory Board was in January 2017. Due to an administrative oversight, the minutes for this meeting had not previously been published. This has now been rectified and the minutes are available on gov.uk.

Public Sector: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of freedom of information requests sent to the Government Mystery Shopper service has been withheld on the grounds that the information requested is commercially sensitive in each year since that service was established.

Caroline Nokes: The exemption under section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) enquiry allows a public authority to withhold information on the grounds that it would or would be likely to prejudice commercial interests. The Crown Commercial Service has not invoked this exemption for any FOIA relating to the Mystery Shopper Service.

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress is being made on the development of the detailed Cyber Science and Technology strategy referred to in paragraph 7.3.5 of the Government's 2016 National Cyber Security Strategy.

Caroline Nokes: Since publication of the 2016 National Cyber Security Strategy, we have been working with experts in Departments, Agencies, academia and industry to develop an interim Cyber Security Science and Technology strategy, which we plan to publish this autumn. The interim strategy sets out our broad approach and establishes the responsibilities, structure and processes needed to develop a full strategy for publication in April 2018.

Public Sector: Ethnic Groups

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is responsible for the timetable on publishing the findings of the Government's race audit of public services.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and I are jointly responsible for the Race Disparity Audit. The timing of the Audit was agreed by the Government collectively. The Audit will be published in the Autumn, 2017.

Committee on Standards in Public Life

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was discussed at the meeting between Capital and the Committee for Standards in Public Life in their meeting on 11 April 2017; and what work of that committee has arisen from that meeting.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was discussed at the meeting between G4S and the Committee for Standards in Public Life in their meeting on 15 March 2017; and what work of that committee has arisen from that meeting.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was discussed at the meeting between Serco and the Committee for Standards in Public Life in their meeting on 2 March 2017; and what work of that committee has arisen from that meeting.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who was present at the roundtable of public service providers hosted by the Committee on Standards in Public Life on 20 March 2017; what was discussed at that meeting; and what work arose as a result of that meeting.

Chris Skidmore: The Committee on Standards in Public Life is an independent, advisory, standing body sponsored by the Cabinet Office. The Committee sets its own work programme. The Committee on Standards in Public Life is following up its 2014 report on Ethical Standards for Public Service Providers and 2015 guidance(https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/336942/CSPL_EthicalStandards_web.pdf). As part of its research, the Committee has met with organisations that provide public services, some commissioners and other think tanks and groups interested in this topic. Attendees at the roundtable on 20 March 2017 were the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, Institute of Business Ethics, Institute for Government, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Federation of Small Businesses, Public Services Lab, Business Services Association, CBI, Centre for Public Scrutiny and the General Pharmaceutical Council. The Committee intends to publish its follow up report later this year.

Public Sector: Gower

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of constituents in Gower worked in the public sector in each year for which data is available.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



UKSA Response to PQ6929
(PDF Document, 168.05 KB)

Business Appointments Advisory Committee: Correspondence

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many letters published on the Acoba website were published there more than one month after being sent in (a) the past 12 months and (b) each year since 2010.

Chris Skidmore: As set out in the Business Appointment Rules, the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) publish the advice they have given, once they are notified an appointment or employment has been taken up by the applicant or announced publicly. This information can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/advisory-committee-on-business-appointments. However the specific information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Layla Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on extending the length of time during which overseas electors are eligible to vote in UK elections and referendums.

Chris Skidmore: As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to legislating to scrap the 15-year rule and will do so in time for the next scheduled parliamentary general election in 2022.

Social Services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2017 to Question 1153, on social services, what steps he is taking to ensure that the consultation into social care will review the views of people who have children with palliative care needs.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2017 to Question 1153, on social services, whether the consultation on social care will include children's social care.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on Tuesday 4 July 2017, Official Report, column 1153.

Attorney General

War Crimes

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the ratification of crimes of aggression as defined by the International Criminal Court into domestic law.

Jeremy Wright: I regularly meet ministerial colleagues to discuss important issues of common interest, including on matters of international criminal law. By longstanding convention, the fact that the Law Officers have or have not given advice to Cabinet on a particular issue, and the content of their advice, is not disclosed outside Government.

Legal Profession: Training

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to his oral contribution of 27 October 2016, Official Report, column 410, whether he plans to look at guidance given by the Crown Prosecution Service to the lawyers who appear before the courts and regularly deal with applications of sexual offences.

Robert Buckland: Specially trained rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) prosecutors are committed to robustly opposing applications pursuant to Section 41 Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 where it is appropriate to do so and are assisted in this process by online legal guidance and by face-to-face training which is compulsory for all RASSO prosecutors. With a view to ensuring that performance is maintained in this important area the CPS is currently developing a new training course on the Section 41 provisions which is designed to assist both RASSO prosecutors and members of the independent Bar. The CPS is also in the process of updating legal guidance for prosecutors on rape and sexual offences which will feature a detailed section on the operation of the Section 41 provisions. The new training course and guidance will be launched later this year. As part of a wider evaluation of the operation of the Section 41 provisions I intend to look at both of these new CPS training products when they have been completed.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Education

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to work closely with disability-focused organisations to improve the effectiveness of the UK's efforts to enhance access to education for disabled girls in developing countries.

Priti Patel: Working with disability focused NGOs and disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) is central to DFID’s work on Disability Inclusion. DFID’s leading programmes for working with NGOs – UK Aid Direct and UK Aid Match – both include support for disability-focused organisations. DFID’s flagship programme on girls education – the Girls’ Education Challenge – has reached over 45,000 girls with disabilities, in part through working with disability focused organisations such as Leonard Cheshire. DFID continues to learn from experience of what works in reaching girls with disabilities. For example, building on the success of the programme in Kenya, Leonard Cheshire are working with the education ministry to revise the teacher training curriculum and demonstrate to local education ministries how to support girls with disabilities.

Asia: Malaria

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the recent rise in malaria cases in Delhi, India; and what support her Department is providing to tackle malaria in (a) India and (b) Asia.

Alistair Burt: The World Health Organisation reports that there have been 592 malaria cases detected in Delhi so far this year. The municipal corporations in Delhi are responding. The WHO is closely monitoring the situation and providing advice through its Regional and Country Offices.DFID provides significant support to malaria control in India and Asia through our leading contribution to the Global Fund. Since 2002 the Global Fund has invested $1.9 billion in India for malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB. This support has included the provision of 3.71 million insecticide treated bed nets to prevent the transmission of malaria. The Global Fund also supports many countries in Asia, including, for example, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. In addition DFID has specific malaria programming to improve the quality of care and address the problem of sub-standard medication in Burma; and programmes in the Greater Mekong sub-region to tackle drug resistant malaria. DFID also supports research into new malaria drugs, and broader support to countries’ health systems to enable better identification and treatment of people affected by malaria.

Yemen: Cholera

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government plans to increase funding available for the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan to tackle the cholera outbreak in that country.

Alistair Burt: The current cholera outbreak in Yemen has been declared by the UN as the worst in the world. Since the start of the outbreak in April, over 612,000 suspected cholera cases have been recorded and more than 2,000 deaths. Fewer than half of Yemen’s health facilities are functioning, and more than 19 million people have no access to clean water or sanitation.In response, the UK increased aid to Yemen to £139 million for 2017-18, prioritising life-saving interventions including clean water and sanitation for an expected 1.2 million people. This also includes support to tackle the underlying causes of cholera by helping provide emergency food, nutrition, as well as supporting cholera prevention and providing medical supplies and treatment for those affected.This is a significant increase from previous years, and makes us the second-largest contributors to the UN’s 2017 Yemen Appeal and the third-largest humanitarian donor overall. We are constantly reviewing our position and examining whether further funding should be made available, as we continue to work with the UN, other partners and donors to monitor and improve the response to the outbreak.On the 11th August, the Secretary of State for International Development announced that we are targeting £8 million of our support to UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration on activities specifically to address cholera. The funding will be used to provide medical supplies to half a million people, give safe access to chlorinated water to 300,000 people, and rehabilitate medical facilities used by 250,000 people.

European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Directorate General: Brexit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the UK will continue to fund the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department after the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The arrangements for withdrawal from the EU, including its funds, will be determined as part of the exit negotiations with the European Commission.

Overseas Aid: Brexit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to publish a position paper on the future of British development assistance after the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK’s leadership on development is an important part of the Government’s international vision for a secure and prosperous United Kingdom with global reach and influence. The Government will provide information about other position papers in due course.

EU Development Fund: Brexit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much each Commonwealth country receives from the EU Development Fund; whether the UK will continue to pay into the EU Development Fund after the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The EU’s 2016 Annual Report provides information by country, including Commonwealth countries, on disbursements from the European Development Fund (EDF) in 2015. The report can be found on the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/2016-annual-report-implementation-european-unions-instruments-financing-external-actions-2015-0_enEach country’s current and future EDF allocations can be found in National Indicative Plans and Regional Indicative Plans on the European Commission’s development cooperation website: https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/countries-territories-and-regions-where-we-are-active_enThere will be no decisions on the future distribution of UK aid until the Government’s negotiations on exiting the EU have concluded. While the UK remains a member of the EU, our commitments to the European Development Fund continue unchanged.

Department for Education

Children: Obesity

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's role is in the Government's childhood obesity strategy; what work her Department is engaged in with other government departments on that strategy; and if she will make a statement.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with key external stakeholders on the childhood obesity strategy; how frequently such discussions take place; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education is playing an integral role as part of the government’s aim to reduce England’s rate of childhood obesity significantly within the next ten years. We are working with other departments and agencies, including the Department of Health and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to deliver the childhood obesity plan.Our department supports the provision of nutritious food in schools to enable pupils to be well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and to concentrate and learn in school. Our school food standards regulate the food and drink provided during the school day, and foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods, are restricted.Alongside these standards, we are leading several significant programmes of work, as outlined in ‘Childhood Obesity: A plan for action’. This includes doubling the Primary PE and Sport Premium, investing £10 million a year into school healthy breakfast clubs and introducing a new voluntary healthy rating scheme for primary schools. We will come forward with further information on each of these programmes soon.The department has regular formal and informal conversations with a wide range of stakeholders on these programmes, including external organisations with an interest in school food, health, sport and physical activity. We look forward to continuing to work with these organisations as we deliver our programmes.

Schools: Food

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the debate in Westminster Hall on Children's Health: Access to Milk of 28 March 2017, what steps her Department is taking to (a) revise the school food standards to align them with the intent behind and structure of the soft drinks industry levy and (b) encourage more schools to adhere to those standards.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government encourages all schools to promote healthy eating and provide nutritious and tasty food and drink. The new School Food Standards came into force from January 2015 and have been widely welcomed.The childhood obesity plan, published in August 2016, mentions that we will update the School Food Standards in light of refreshed government dietary recommendations. We are currently reflecting on the best course of action and further announcements will be made in due course.We are confident that schools endeavour to provide a healthy food service whether or not they are required to adhere to the School Food Standards. Over 1400 academies are voluntarily following the standards and we encourage the remaining schools to commit to the standards.

Physical Education

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding will be allocated to PE out of the Healthy Pupil Capitals Programme in England and Wales for 2017 to 2022; what the source of these funds will be; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As announced by the Secretary of State for Education on 17 July, we will invest £100 million from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in 2018-19 for healthy pupils’ capital. The funding will improve school facilities to support a range of healthy pupils’ activities, including PE and sports, after school activities and healthy eating. We are not planning to prescribe a particular amount of this funding to be used exclusively for PE, as we believe the investment should be informed by schools’ local priorities across this wider range of healthy pupils’ activities. In addition, we are doubling the Primary PE and School Sport Premium to £320m a year from September 2017 using revenue generated from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

Primary Education: School Meals

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of primary school children who eat a lunch provided by their school.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the department does not currently collect data on the number of paid for school dinners.We do monitor take-up of benefit related free school meals (FSM) and universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) using information taken from the school census. The proportion of compulsory school age pupils claiming benefit related free school meals is 14%. The proportion of eligible infants (excluding those not already eligible for benefit-related FSM) taking a meal under the UIFSM policy is 85.9%.[1] [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017

Academies: School Meals

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to introduce mealtime standards for academies.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The government encourages all schools to promote healthy eating and provide nutritious and tasty food and drink. The new School Food Standards came into force from January 2015 and have been widely welcomed.The standards apply to local authority maintained schools, academies that opened prior to 2010 and academies and free schools entering into a funding agreement from June 2014. We encourage those founded between those dates to use the standards as a guide and sign up voluntarily to show they are following them. To date over 1400 of these academies have signed up voluntarily to the standards, and we encourage the remaining schools to commit to the standards.

Children: Disadvantaged

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children was eligible for free school meals in (a) Barnsley and (b) the UK in each of the last seven years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Figures on the proportion of children eligible for free school meals are published, for all authorities in England, annually. The most recent figures can be found in the statistical first release available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017.A table of figures for the last seven years has been provided below.Proportion of children eligible for free school meals, time series: percentages Nursery and primary schoolsSecondary schools BarnsleyEnglandBarnsleyEngland201719.114.117.012.9201620.514.518.313.2201519.415.618.713.9201421.317.020.514.6201321.518.119.415.1201222.818.120.114.8201121.818.019.714.6source: school censusA UK figure is not available. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations.

Pupils: Health

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish guidance given to primary schools on the implementation of the Healthy Pupils Capital Programme; and if she will make a statement.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she plans to hold with (a) the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and (b) Sports National Governing Bodies on the implementation of the Healthy Pupils Capital Programme; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Officials in the Department for Education (DfE) are developing proposals on how the £100 million healthy pupils capital funding will be allocated most effectively to schools. Further information and guidance will be available later this year.They work closely with their counterparts from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) across a number of programmes to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to lead healthy, active lives. DfE officials also regularly meet with a number of national governing bodies of different sports.Ministers from DfE, DCMS and the Department of Health meet with stakeholders in a regular ministerial board on school sport.

Free Schools

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on creating new free schools; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We remain completely committed to an ambitious free schools programme that delivers, choice, innovation and higher standards for parents. Free schools are more likely than maintained schools to be rated outstanding by Ofsted.We plan to approve the further 140 free schools, funding for which was announced in the last budget.

Pre-school Education: Standards

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the Social Mobility Commission's findings in its report, Time for Change: An Assessment of Government Policies on Social Mobility 1997-2017, on the quality of nursery provision provided to children.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is committed to driving up quality standards in the early years. As the Social Mobility Commission report notes, the proportion of providers rated “good” or “outstanding” has risen steadily and the latest figures from Ofsted show that 93% of providers had achieved these top ratings as at 31 March 2017. Ofsted’s annual report last year noted that the proportion of “good” and “outstanding” nurseries and pre-schools was now almost identical in the least deprived areas compared with the most deprived, the difference having decreased by seven percentage points in four years. Improving the regulatory regime is a key part of our quality strategy and we continue to work closely with Ofsted on that.In addition, the department published its Early Years Workforce Strategy on 3 March, which set out how we plan to help employers attract, retain and develop early years staff. The workforce strategy supports the development of a well-qualified workforce with the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience to deliver high quality early education and childcare for all children from birth to age five, including through improving the quality of early years training and providing access to continuous professional development. The strategy can be viewed from this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-workforce-strategy.

Children: Care Homes

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children's homes in England are (a) local authority-owned, (b) privately-owned and (c) other for each year for which data is available since the publication of the Children's Homes Data Pack in 2014.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authority children's care homes in England have closed in each region in each year for which information is available since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) local authority, (b) private and (c) other care homes in England have been rated as requires improvement by Ofsted by provider for every year for the past five years for which information is available since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the information requested is held by Ofsted, the regulator for children’s social care. The Chief Inspector of Ofsted will write to you with this information.

Children: Care Homes

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care homes there were in (a) England and (b) the North West broken down by (i) local authority ownership, (ii) private ownership and (iii) other for each year for which information is available since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the Department does not hold the information requested.

Children in Care

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were absent from their placements in (a) England and (b) North West for each year for which data is available since the publication of the Children's Homes Data Pack in 2014.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of looked-after children have gone missing from placements in (a) England and (b) the North West for each year for which information is available since he publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: This information is published as experimental statistics in the statistical first release Children looked after in England including adoption which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.The number and percentage of looked after children who went missing from their placement in the year ending 31 March by region can be found in the 2014-2015 release at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2014-to-2015 and the 2015-2016 release at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2015-to-2016 in Table LAG1. The department does not distinguish between children who were missing from their placement and those who were absent from their placement. This information was collected for the first time in 2015 and so comparisons between years should be treated with caution.

Children in Care: Special Educational Needs

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide an estimate of the number of looked-after children who have special educational needs, for each of the last five years for which information is available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department publishes data on numbers of looked after children who have special educational needs, for children who have been looked after continuously for at least twelve months at 31 March. Figures for the last five years for which information is available have been summarised in the table below.  20122013201420152016Children looked after1 with special educational needs220,74022,03021,89021,07020,2201. Children looked after continuously for at least twelve months as at 31 March excluding children in respite care. Only children who have been matched to census data and are aged 4 or above (at 31 March) have been included.2. Children matched to school census and AP census, with known SEN status. The figures are from the 2012 to 2016 Outcomes for children looked after by LAs: 31 March statistical first releases, which are available at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.

Education: Assessments

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the Key Stage examination grades for (a) looked-after children and (b) other children, broken down by (i) Key Stage placement and (ii) educational provider for each of the last five years for which information is available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department published attainment data at key stages 1, 2 and 4 for children who have been looked after continuously for at least twelve months at 31 March and other children in Tables 1 to 3d of the following statistical first release, SFR 12/2017 Outcomes for children looked after by local authorities in England, 31 March 2016, which is available at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-31-march-2016.However, I am sorry but figures by educational provider are not readily available and to provide them for each measure at each key stage over five years would incur a disproportional cost.Attainment data for looked after children is not available at key stages 3 or 5.

Children in Care

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average number was of looked-after children that local authorities placed in children's homes for each year for which information is available, since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Information on the number of looked-after children by placement type is published in table A2 of the statistical first release Children looked after in England including adoption: 2015 to 2016, which is available at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2015-to-2016.

Children in Care

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average cost of residential care provision per child per week for each year for which information is available since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent on (a) care homes and (b) residential care by local authorities in England for each year for which information is available since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Our data collection on local authority spend does not differentiate between spend on care homes and residential care.Total local authority spend on residential care for children looked after from 2013-14 to 2015-16 is shown below. These figures are published as part of the Department’s Section 251 collection. 2013-142014-152015-16Local authority spend on residential care, £ million (gross rounded)1,0211,0161,103  The section 251 return collects local authority spend on the following items specifically for looked after children: residential care, fostering services, adoption services, special guardianship support, short breaks (respite) for looked after disabled children, children placed with family and friends, education of looked after children, leaving care support services, asylum seeker services – children.The Department publishes estimates of the weekly unit costs of residential care in the Local Authority Interactive Tool (LAIT), which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait.To access the relevant information, select ‘All LAs level’, then Topic ‘Children’s Service Finance’ then Indicator ‘Residential Care’. The 2015-16 figures are provisional estimates based on a proxy (2014-15 care days). The unit costs will be recalculated once 2015-16 care day figures are available.

Pupils: Attendance

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what attendance rates at school were for (a) looked-after children and (b) other children by educational provider for each year for which data is available since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department publishes data on absence from school by type of school for children who have been looked after continuously for at least twelve months at 31 March. Figures for 2013 to 2016 are in Table 5 of the Outcomes for children looked after by LAs: 31 March 2016 statistical first release, which is available at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-31-march-2016. School absence figures for all children over this period is also presented in this table.The above statistical first release provides school types; state-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools. A more detailed level of school type is not readily available and it is unclear if it is required.

Children in Care

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of looked-after children were in out of borough placements in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Stockport for each year since 2011.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The information requested is provided in the table below.Numbers and percentages of children looked after at 31 March who were placed outside local authority boundary1, 2, 3  201120122013201420152016Numbers  England23,12023,70024,48026,84027,72028,290   North West3,6203,5703,8504,3704,5504,510   Stockport756570908085   Percentages  England353536394040   North West323133363636   Stockport252324302729Source: SSDA903 1. England and regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Local authority numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.2. Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements children whose LA of placement is not known.3. Percentages are based on the total number of children looked after at 31 March.

Runaway Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of looked-after children went missing from placements in (a) England and (b) the North West for more than 24 hours for each year for which information is available since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department does not collect hour-specific data on duration of missing episodes. It collects the date a looked-after child went missing, and the date the child returned to their placement so we cannot provide figures for children who were missing over 24 hours. The available information, covering children who went missing one day and returned on or after the next day is provided in the table. Figures are not comparable between 2015 and 2016.Percentage of all looked after children during the year1 who went missing2 and returned on or after the following day3 Years ending 31 March 2015 and 2016Coverage: EnglandNote: These figures are experimental – 2016 figures should not be compared to 2015 (see footnote 4).  20154 2016England5 7North West5 6Source: SSDA9031. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Expressed as a percentage of the total number of looked after children during the year.2. Missing is defined as a looked after child who is not at their placement or a place they are expected to be (e.g. a school) and their whereabouts is not known. This does not include children who were away from their placement without authorisation where the child’s whereabouts was known.3. Incidents of a child going missing where the end date of the missing period was after its start date. This will include short missing periods where the child went missing late at night but was found in the early hours of the following morning.4. These figures are experimental statistics. 2016 is the second year the statistics have been collected in this way and local authorities reported some significant improvements in consistency and completeness of the data; figures for 2015 and 2016 are not comparable.

Pupils: Attendance

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the number of (a) looked-after children and (b) other children who have been subject to a final warning or reprimanded, by age, for each year for which data is available since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) looked-after children and (b) other children have been identified as having a substance misuse problem for each year for which data is available since the publication of the Children's Home Data Pack in 2014.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children there were in England for each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: This information is published in the statistical first release Children looked after in England including adoption: 2015 to 2016, which is available at www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2015-to-2016.The number of looked after children and all children who were convicted or have been subject to a final warning or reprimanded in each year by age since 2014 can be found in Table I1.The number of looked after children who were identified as having a substance misuse problem in each year by age since 2014 can be found in Table I2. Equivalent figures are not available for all children.The number of children who were looked after at 31 March of each of the last five years can be found in Table A1.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a stipend to aid the recruitment and retention of school governors.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We regularly assess all aspects of governance, including the attraction and retention of highly skilled governors, to ensure that governing bodies have the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to be effective. The governance of schools in England is based on the principle of voluntary service. The government is committed to maintaining and promoting this principle for boards of both academies and maintained schools. This is in line with charity law and corporate governance practice in other parts of the public sector.To assist schools and academies in the recruitment of governors, the department nationally commissions support to recruit high calibre people into governance through Inspiring Governance and Academy Ambassadors.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve training and development for school governors.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Effective and professional quality governance is critical to the long-term success of all schools. Earlier this year, the department published the Competency Framework for Governance and the Clerking Competency Framework, which set out the key skills, knowledge and behaviours required on governing and trustee boards.These support our overall aim to improve the effectiveness of governing boards. We are also prioritising building governance skills in the system through providing centrally funded training and development that builds the capacity of governance leaders and supports them to drive change to improve the effectiveness of their board.In addition, centrally funded training and development ensures boards receive the administrative and procedural information, advice and support they need to operate efficiently by professionalising the quality of clerking.We have increased funding for this training to £1.5 million/year over the next three years. In delivering this, we are moving away from licensing centrally defined governance development programmes to enable a wider field of providers to contract with the department to offer funded development against defined outcomes. This enables providers to focus on specific development needs for individual boards.

Children's Centres: Closures

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Sure Start Children's Centres have closed since May 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Since January 2016, real-time data on Sure Start children’s centres and sites has been supplied by local authorities via the Department’s EduBase portal at: http://www.education.gov.uk/edubase/search.xhtml?clear=true.Based on the information supplied by local authorities[1], the attached spreadsheet provides details of the location of children’s centres that have closed since May 2015.Councils are merging centres to allow services to be delivered more efficiently. Where they decide to close a children’s centre, councils must demonstrate that children and families, particularly the most disadvantaged, will not be adversely affected and that they will not compromise their duty to have sufficient children’s centres to meet local need. [1] The list of children’s centres closed since May 2015 is based on information supplied by local authorities as at 31 August 2017 (8:45am). 



Children's centres closed since May 2015
(Excel SpreadSheet, 58.79 KB)

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017, Official Report, column 565, what estimate she has made of the savings to be made from the free schools budget to increase core schools funding in 2018-19.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017, Official Report, column 565, how many of the 30 free schools to be delivered through the local authority route will be built in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017 Official Report, column 565, what criteria will be used to assess which local authorities will deliver the 30 free schools.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017, Official Report, column 565, what estimate she has made of the savings to be made from the free schools budget to increase core schools funding in 2019-20.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 September 2017 to Questions UIN 5931 and 5933:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-07-18/5931/.

Asylum: Children

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the safeguarding strategy for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The safeguarding strategy on unaccompanied and refugee children will be published this autumn.

Mathematics: Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects to set out her plans to implement the recommendations in Sir Adrian Smith's review of post-16 mathematics, published on 20 July 2017.

Nick Gibb: Professor Sir Adrian Smith’s review of post-16 mathematics concludes that Government, employers, schools and colleges must take greater action to encourage and support more young people to choose mathematics post-16.My letter to Sir Adrian, published alongside the review on 20 July 2017, discussed a number of his recommendations against which we have been able to take immediate action. These include the development of a robust technical education system and our work with the Royal Society and British Academy to encourage universities and employers to better signal the value of level 3 mathematics qualifications.We have also announced a new £16 million Level 3 Maths Support Programme, which will provide a wide range of targeted support, resources and expertise to students, teachers, schools and colleges, to continue to improve and increase the provision of post-16 mathematics.The letter confirmed that the Government is considering the wide ranging recommendation in Sir Adrian’s report and that we will set out our plans across the range of recommendations in due course.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers of the deaf were employed by each unitary and county council in England in each of the last five academic years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held centrally.

Special Educational Needs: Brent

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds data on the number of rejected EHCP applications in the London Borough of Brent in 2015-16.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of initial requests for assessment for an EHC plan that were refused during the 2016 calendar, by local authority, is available in table 7 on the Department’s website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2017.

Schools: Capital Investment

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the education capital budget was allocated to (a) free schools, (b) academies and (c) maintained schools in each year since 2009-10; and how much is forecast to be spent on each of these school groups for the next three fiscal years.

Nick Gibb: The majority of the Department’s capital budget is allocated to local authorities and other responsible bodies through basic need and school condition allocations with decisions on investment taken locally. The Department’s total capital budget for education in each year since 2009-10 is set out as below. Table 1: Department for Education capital spend, 2009-10 to 2016-17. £ billions2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-177.47.15.04.64.14.85.15.7  Detailed spending plans for future financial years will be set out in future Main and Supplementary Estimates. Sources:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630518/DfE_Consolidated_annual_report_and_accounts_2016-17_print.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517766/DfE-consolidated-annual-report-and-a-counts-2014-to-2015-Web-version.pdf

Academies: Pay

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and which heads of multi-academy trusts earn more than £150,000 per annum.

Mr Robert Goodwill: A list of academy trusts paying staff more than £150,000 will be included in the 2015/16 Academy Sector Annual Report and Accounts (SARA), which is due to be published in October 2017. The information however does not contain the names of the employees, as the data is not reported through the academy accounts.Academy trusts are responsible for setting their own remuneration for staff. It is essential that we have the best people to lead our schools if we are to raise standards, but we expect pay to be commensurate with the size of the trust and performance. Most academy leaders earn under £110k – the national maximum (excluding London) of the pay range for the leadership group.Trusts must disclose senior staff pay annually in their audited accounts. The Education and Skills Funding Agency follows up, on a risk basis, where non-compliance is identified.

Special Educational Needs: Kent

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consultation her Department held with Kent County Council on recent funding decisions for newly-assessed high-needs pupils.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The funding for newly-assessed high needs pupils is decided by each local authority. We do not prescribe in detail how much local authorities should allocate to their schools for their pupils with SEN, or how much schools should spend in making provision for them. Kent County Council responded to our recent consultation on the national funding formula, but this concerned how high needs funding is distributed between local authorities.

Learndirect

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding from the Adult Education budget was requested by learndirect Ltd for 2017-18.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to learndirect Ltd from the Adult Education budget between 1 November 2017 and 31 July 2018.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons learndirect Ltd is being permitted to recruit additional adult education learners in the light of its Grade 4 assessment by Ofsted.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department allocated to learndirect Ltd from the Adult Education budget between 1 August and 31 October 2017.

Anne Milton: Learndirect is a large provider of adult education and training under contract to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). It also provides services to other government departments, including the professional skills test for prospective teachers for the Department for Education, the ‘Life in the UK’ citizenship test for the Home Office and the work programme for the Department for Work and Pensions. In all it delivers training for around 80,000 people a year, and tests for more than 150,000 people. Our priority is to protect those learners and avoid disruption to testing services. In order to protect provision for learners and ensure an orderly rundown of contracts, all existing Adult Education Budget (AEB) contract holders who did not participate in the recent procurement or who were unsuccessful have been offered a contract extension for the period 1 November 2017 to 31 July 2018. The extensions are equivalent to 49% of their 2016/17 allocation. Learndirect Ltd originally submitted a bid for this procurement but withdrew it before its conclusion, so were offered an extension on this basis, which equates to £29.19m. All providers offered this extension are not able to secure any further extension after July 2018.We have agreed to extend Learndirect’s contract for adult education in order to protect the large number of learners and avoid disruption to other government services delivered by this provider. This decision also reflects the fact that Learndirect’s adult education provision, and their leadership and management, was graded 3 by Ofsted at the recent inspection. Learndirect’s provision will be subject to regular monitoring arrangements during the rundown, and if we have any concerns about the quality of delivery we will take action. If we had not agreed to extend Learndirect’s contract in this way the large number of learners currently on courses and other government services could have been at risk. The ESFA will closely monitor Learndirect’s performance during the extended contract and will take action if there are any concerns. AEB funding levels for 2017/18 for individual contract-based providers were determined either by the outcome of the procurement, or the standard methodology that applies to run down contracts that is set out above. There were separate arrangements in place for allocating funding to grant-based providers, which includes most colleges. In order to ensure continuity of provision for learners, all existing AEB contract holders, including Learndirect Ltd, were issued with a three-month contract extension for the period 1 August to 31 October 2017 to bridge the period between the end of the previous funding year and the commencement of the period after the procurement. All providers were offered the same percentage (26%) of their 2016/17 allocation. For Learndirect Ltd this equates to £15.96m.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many eligibility codes for 30 hours of free childcare have been validated by providers and local authorities.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The national rollout of 30 hours free childcare marks the delivery of a manifesto commitment that will help hundreds of thousands of hard working families. Over 200,000 valid 30 hours codes have been generated, reaching our target for 1st September.As of 6th September, 152,829 eligibility codes for 30 hours free childcare have been validated. These are eligibility codes that were issued by 31st August and validated by 5th September for children aged three by 31st August 2017.

Classroom Assistants: Average Earnings

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2017 to Question 61630, on classroom assistants: average earnings, if she will provide the same salary data for 2016.

Nick Gibb: The following table shows the average salary for all full-time teaching assistants and higher level teaching assistants, and all teaching assistants in local authority maintained schools, academy schools and free schools in England, as at November 2016.  Full-time Teaching AssistantsFull-time Higher Level Teaching AssistantsFull-time All Teaching Assistants2016   Local Authority Maintained Schools£19,300£22,500£19,700Academies£19,000£21,800£19,300Free Schools£16,900£19,400£17,000All Schools£19,100£22,300£19,400Source: School Workforce Census

Ministry of Justice

Dangerous Driving

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish the outcome of the consultation on dangerous driving proposals which closed in February 2016.

Dominic Raab: The consultation on driving offences and penalties issued by the previous government closed on 1 February 2017. I intend to make an announcement in due course.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals against decisions on (a) personal independence payment and (b) employment and support allowance were heard at (i) Blackburn, (ii) Blackpool, (iii) Burnley, (iv) Lancaster and (v) Preston Magistrates' Court in each month between 1 January 2016 and 31 July 2017; and on how many occasions at each venue in each of these months regarding (A) personal independence payment and (B) employment and support allowance hearings were adjourned.

Dominic Raab: The table below contains the information requested up to March 2017, the latest period for which figures are availableVenueMonthBenefit typeNumber hearing clearances4Number of adjournments5Blackburn1January 2016PIP231~6  ESA325~ February 2016PIP170  ESA27~ March 2016PIP30~  ESA43~ April 2016PIP33~  ESA286 May 2016PIP386  ESA30~ June 2016PIP160  ESA28~ July 2016PIP316  ESA29~ August 2016PIP23~  ESA25~ September 2016PIP29~  ESA36~ October 2016PIP25~  ESA41~ November 2016PIP396  ESA42~ December 2016PIP317  ESA26~ January 2017PIP446  ESA246 February 2017PIP537  ESA35~ March 2017PIP399  ESA17~Blackpool1January 2016PIP32~  ESA60~ February 2016PIP31~  ESA52~ March 2016PIP30~  ESA19~ April 2016PIP48~  ESA35~ May 2016PIP35~  ESA33~ June 2016PIP29~  ESA33~ July 2016PIP34~  ESA47~ August 2016PIP37~  ESA45~ September 2016PIP339  ESA58~ October 2016PIP387  ESA559 November 2016PIP449  ESA326 December 2016PIP3812  ESA42~ January 2017PIP517  ESA417 February 2017PIP4210  ESA450 March 2017PIP4912  ESA329Burnley1January 20166PIP23~  ESA24~ February 2016PIP18~  ESA438 March 2016PIP26~  ESA34~ April 2016PIP29~  ESA19~ May 2016PIP29~  ESA29~ June 2016PIP22~  ESA21~ July 2016PIP178  ESA32~ August 2016PIP1810  ESA266 September 2016PIP366  ESA46~ October 2016PIP317  ESA39~ November 2016PIP29~  ESA30~ December 2016PIP288  ESA30~ January 2017PIP4310  ESA21~ February 2017PIP3711  ESA27~ March 2017PIP346  ESA27~Lancaster 1January 2016PIP16~  ESA97 February 2016PIP10~  ESA19~ March 2016PIP9~  ESA14~ April 2016PIP13~  ESA14~ May 2016PIP20~  ESA90 June 2016PIP10~  ESA100 July 2016PIP100  ESA14~ August 2016PIP11~  ESA21~ September 2016PIP17~  ESA17~ October 2016PIP8~  ESA19~ November 2016PIP16~  ESA12~ December 2016PIP~0  ESA7~ January 2017PIP166  ESA140 February 2017PIP15~  ESA12~ March 2017PIP13~  ESA12~Preston Magistrates’ Court1January 2016PIP2611  ESA41~ February 2016PIP28~  ESA42~ March 2016PIP3611  ESA457 April 2016PIP3512  ESA23~ May 2016PIP39~  ESA19~ June 2016PIP26~  ESA15~ July 2016PIP18~  ESA44~ August 2016PIP278  ESA27~ September 2016PIP40~  ESA378 October 2016PIP35~  ESA25~ November 2016PIP18~  ESA13~ December 2016PIP29~  ESA12~ January 2017PIP18~  ESA23~ February 2017PIP20~  ESA17~ March 2017PIP378  ESA2171 Social Security and Child Support data are attributed to the hearing venue nearest the appellant’s home2. Personal Independence Payment began to replace Disability Living Allowance for people aged 16 to 64 from 8 April 2013. Data includes Disablity Living Allowance reassessment3. Employment and Support Allowance was rolled out from October 2008 and Employment and Support Allowance (Incapacity Benefit Reassessment) was rolled out from April 20114. Total number of hearing clearances. Cases cleared at tribunal hearing both oral and paper5. Number of cases adjourned at tribunal hearing6. Number falls between one and five.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available. The data are a subset of official statistics extracted from the case management system on a different date.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority: Standards

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the target time is for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to assess a claim.

Dr Phillip Lee: CICA has a target for 2017/18 to decide 85% of new cases within 12 months of receipt. It is recognised there will always be complex cases which need to take longer, for example if the applicant’s medical treatment is ongoing or their level of recovery is not yet known.

Courts: Interpreters

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many British sign language court interpreters are available in each region in England.

Dominic Raab: The provision of British Sign Language interpreters to the Ministry of Justice has been provided by Clarion UK Ltd since 31st October 2016. The current number of interpreters available for use by Clarion under this contract is 353. The table below sets out a notional spread of these interpreters across each of the HMCTS regions within England and Wales, this regional breakdown is based on the interpreter’s home postcode, and so it should be noted that these interpreters may be deployed to any location across England and Wales. RegionNumber of British Sign Language InterpretersSouth East75South West15London64North East20North West73Wales24Midlands82 In addition to these 353 interpreters available through Clarion, the Ministry of Justice may make use of additional, locally sources British Sign Language interpreters on an ‘off contract’ basis, where it is in the best interests of justice to do so.

Criminal Injuries Compensation: Offences against Children

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the letter to him from Barnardo's, Victim Support, Liberty, Rape Crisis and the National Working Group of 18 July 2017, if he will review the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority Guidelines to ensure that children who are raped or sexually abused are not refused compensation on the grounds that they consented to that rape or abuse.

Dr Phillip Lee: Child sexual abuse is abhorrent, and victims can apply for taxpayer-funded compensation awards through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme). The Scheme is made by the Secretary of State under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995 having been approved by each House of Parliament. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) administers the Scheme and decides all claims independently of ministers and Parliament. The CICA sets guidelines to assist them in administering the Scheme. The CICA guidelines are intended to make sure that controlling and abusive behaviour is taken into account when handling compensation applications for child sexual abuse. The CICA are urgently reviewing their guidelines to ensure they are robust enough to deal with cases where grooming may be a factor.

Cammell Laird: Strikes

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Youth Justice of 25 April 2017, Official Report, column 992, if the Government will establish an inquiry on the 1984 Cammell Laird strike and the imprisonment of 37 men.

Dr Phillip Lee: Industrial relations and how they were historically dealt with are not a matter for the Ministry of Justice. The appropriate route to challenge a conviction and/or sentence is by way of appeal. Once the appeal route has been exhausted it is possible to apply to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. The Commission has the power to review and investigate possible miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Where there is a real possibility that the conviction or sentence will not be upheld, the Commission can refer the case to the appropriate court, which will treat the referral as a new appeal.

Immigration: Appeals

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what target his Department has set for the length of time between an appeal being lodged with the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal and the hearing date.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is not held centrally. Work is ongoing to reduce delays in immigration tribunals.

Immigration: Appeals

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of appeals lodged with the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal met the target time for a hearing date between 31 July 2016 to 31 July 2017.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is not held centrally. Work is ongoing to reduce delays in the immigration tribunals.

Trials: Broadcasting

Mr John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to extend the broadcasting of court proceedings.

Dominic Raab: Broadcasting of live footage of the UK Supreme Court is already allowed. Since 2012, judgements and sentencing decisions in cases before the Court of Appeal, in both criminal and civil divisions are also broadcast.In 2016 we conducted a not for broadcast test for judges’ sentencing remarks in eight Crown Court centres.We will consider the lessons learnt from this test before considering next steps so to ensure that proper safeguards are introduced and that parties are treated fairly and their rights are respected.

Prisons: Port Talbot

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, Whether he or Ministers of his Department have plans to attend the public meeting in Port Talbot on 20 September 2017 on the proposed siting of a prison in Baglan, Port Talbot.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The site at Port Talbot was proposed along with a number of other sites by the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government continue to support us in redeveloping the site for the purpose of building a new prison.It is not customary for Ministers to attend public consultation events about obtaining planning permission for new prisons.My officials will be holding a two-day public event about our plans for the new prison in Port Talbot, in due course. This event will be over and above the statutory consultation process required.

Prisoners

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to reduce violence and self-harm among prisoners.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I take our duty to keep both prisoners in our care and our hard-working staff safe extremely seriously.I chair a weekly safer custody meeting with officials to drive forward improvements. I review details of every self-inflicted death to see how we might prevent others.We are improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody and working to improve case management processes for those at risk.We are also bringing in more staff dedicated to safer custody work to ensure prisons are following all the processes they need to.

Prisons: Staff

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, What assessment his Department has made of the appropriate ratio of staff to prisoners in each prison for operating a safe and rehabilitative prison regime.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There are arrangements in place in every prison, taking into account population and accommodation, to set staffing levels which are sufficient to maintain safe and decent conditions.We are significantly increasing staff numbers by recruiting a net 2,500 extra prison officers by December 2018.This will allow us to introduce a new key worker role, in which all prison officers on wings will support a small caseload of prisoners, improving the quality of staff-prisoner relationships and tackling the drivers of each prisoner’s offending.

Prime Minister

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions she has had with the devolved administrations on the terms of reference of an inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal; and if she will publish all correspondence with devolved administrations on that inquiry.

Mrs Theresa May: The Government has had discussions with the devolved administrations about the inquiry. The Government is consulting on the format, scope and sponsorship of the inquiry until 18 October, and will update the House after the consultation.

Ministry of Defence

Falkland Islands: Air Routes

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4601, what the timetable is for the publication of costs related to the re-routing of the South Atlantic air bridge, broken down by fuel, handling and landing fees.

Mark Lancaster: The Department does not routinely publish such costs and as I explained in my answer to Question 4601 on 17 July 2017, it is too early to provide details of costs which will continue to be tracked and recorded.

Department of Health: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current (a) underspend and (b) overspend is for each of his Department's equipment projects that have progressed beyond main gate approval.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) delivers a significant number of equipment projects that have received a main gate approval, and responsibility for their budgets lie with the Front Line Commands. As such, detailed budget information for all equipment projects is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All projects are, however, monitored and controlled at a level appropriate to their cost, and it is the responsibility of the Commands to address forecast overspends through the Department's project approval process.In January 2017 the MOD published a project delivery performance summary within its Equipment Plan statement, replacing the Major Projects Report from the National Audit Office (NAO). This summarised the delivery performance of the largest equipment procurement projects that had reached the demonstration and manufacture phases of their project life cycle. For the majority, that means the projects received a main gate approval. The project population is consistent with that used by the NAO, covering a range of industry sectors and major equipment types. The report includes details of the cost, time and quality delivery forecasts for each project, including the cost variation since original approval.The Defence Equipment Plan 2016 can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-defence-equipment-plan-2016

Air Force

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current difference is between the number of serving RAF personnel and the full-time military trained strength of the RAF.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested is routinely published on the Government website. Data from 1 July 2017 can be found at the following link;https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-monthly-service-personnel-statistics-2017

Aircraft Carriers

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the total cost to the public purse of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

Harriett Baldwin: The approved cost of the programme to build both Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers is £6.2 billion. The Department keeps costs within the programme under very close scrutiny, and industry is incentivised to manage cost pressures.

Armed Forces

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 5260, on the Navy, whether the personnel numbers targets have changed from SDSR 2015 for each Service; and what the personnel targets are for each Service by 2025.

Mark Lancaster: The Government is committed to maintaining the overall size of the Armed Forces.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft will be purchased.

Harriett Baldwin: As stated in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 we are procuring nine P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the new P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft are planned to provide 24-hour cover for the UK's nuclear deterrent and aircraft carriers.

Mark Lancaster: The P-8A Poseidon will provide protection to the UK's nuclear deterrent and aircraft carriers in concert with a variety of other capabilities.

Army Foundation College

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Military Police investigations into staff at AFC Harrogate there have been in the last 10 years; what the (a) related allegations and (b) outcomes were in each of those investigations; and if he will make a statement.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many instructors have been returned to unit from AFC Harrogate (a) with and (b) without prejudice in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many disciplinary investigations into instructors have been conducted at AFC Harrogate in the last 10 years; what the (a) related allegations and (b) outcomes were in each of those investigations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Data on the outcomes of Royal Military Police investigations over the last ten years will take time to collate. Information relating to disciplinary action is currently unlkown. I will write shortly to provide the data requested. The Army does not tolerate unacceptable behaviour by any personnel, including staff and Junior Soldiers at the Army Foundation College, in any form. All allegations are treated very seriously and investigated. As part of our duty of care, instructors at the College will normally be suspended until an investigation has been carried out, or depending on the circumstances, they may be removed from post without prejudice and reassigned. As a result of the misconduct investigation and findings, the without prejudice removal will then be classified as blameworthy or non-blameworthy, and dealt with accordingly.

Nuclear Weapons

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will adopt a no first use policy in relation to the UK's nuclear weapons capability; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Michael Fallon: The UK has neither a first use nor a no first use policy for our nuclear weapons.It is essential that we do not assist our potential adversaries by defining precisely when, how and at what scale we would contemplate employing them in the most extreme circumstances of self-defence, including the defence of our NATO allies.

Department for Work and Pensions

Unemployed People: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health on the mental health of unemployed people.

Penny Mordaunt: My department is committed to supporting those with mental health conditions and we are working across government to provide and improve integrated health and employment support. We are more than doubling the number of employment advisers in talking therapies and we will be investing nearly £115m to implement trials which will build our evidence base on what works to help people with health conditions to return to or gain employment In October 2016 my department published, jointly with the Department of Health, Improving Lives: the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper. This reflected the Government’s new and ambitious approach to work and health, wishing to join up systems and work widely to change attitudes with employers, within the welfare state, across the health service and in wider society so that we focus on the strengths of those with health conditions and what they can do. Our 15-week consultation engaged with disabled people and people with long term conditions, their families and carers, health and social care professionals, their representative bodies, local and national organisations, employers and charities. The consultation received almost 6000 responses across all sectors. The Government is currently considering the responses and will reach decisions on next steps in due course.

Unemployed People: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support the mental health of unemployed people.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support the mental health of unemployed people.

Penny Mordaunt: Earlier this year, the Prime Minister announced the first steps in our plan to transform the way we deal with mental health problems at every stage of a person’s life. A range of new measures were announced, including two new reviews. In addition, the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health and NHS England’s Implementation Plan set out a series of actions to prevent mental ill health, improve services and reduce stigma. My department is committed to supporting those with mental health conditions. In October 2016 my department published, jointly with the Department of Health, Improving Lives: the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper. This reflected the Government’s new and ambitious approach to work and health, wishing to join up systems and work widely to change attitudes with employers, within the welfare state, across the health service and in wider society so that we focus on the strengths of those with health conditions and what they can do. Our 15-week consultation engaged with disabled people and people with long term conditions, their families and carers, health and social care professionals, their representative bodies, local and national organisations, employers and charities. The consultation received almost 6000 responses across all sectors. The Government is currently considering the responses and will reach decisions on next steps in due course. My department is also continuing to invest in trials, proofs of concept and feasibility studies to build our evidence base on the best specialist and integrated support for people with mental health conditions.

Social Security Benefits

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the projected number of children under the age of five who live in households that will be affected by the freeze on tax credits and jobseeker's allowance in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Caroline Dinenage: HMRC publishes annual estimates of child and working tax credits. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/613423/cwtc-main-Apr17.pdf Provisional estimates for 2016/17 show approximately 1.84 million children under 5 living in families in receipt of tax credits. An Impact Assessment was also published alongside the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. This considers impacts of the freeze on households and on protected groups including children and lone parents.http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf However, information on the children of recipients of Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) is not collected, and projections beyond 2016 of children under the age of 5 living in households in receipt of either tax credits or JSA have not been estimated.

Social Security Benefits

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the projected number of children under the age of five who live in households that will be affected by the benefits cap in each of the next five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not hold any projections of the number of children under the age of 5 affected by the benefit cap. To collate and add on the additional data for all children under 5 and quality assure the figures to answer this PQ would incur disproportionate cost. The Department published ad-hoc statistics in July 2017 which estimated that 56,000 households fall into the scope of the lower benefit cap in 2016/17. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-estimated-impact-on-parents-by-age-of-youngest-child, Table 1, Estimated number of households in scope for the lower benefit cap prior to its introduction, by family type and age of youngest child: 2016/17). This does not take account of behavioural changes where people make the choice to move into employment or increase their hours of work or taken other action to move out of scope for the cap. The Department published an Impact Assessment on the introduction of the lower benefit cap in August 2016. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/548741/welfare-reform-and-work-act-impact-assessment-for-the-benefit-cap.pdf

Jobcentres: Mountain Ash

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of claimants who will be required to travel further than a distance considered reasonable by his Department to attend appointments and research job vacancies, after the closure of Mountain Ash Jobcentre.

Damian Hinds: The new site at Aderdare is 4.5 miles and 27 minutes by public transport from Mountain Ash Jobcentre. This proposed closure was subject to consultation and we have carefully considered the points raised by respondents. Whilst we accept that this might mean a longer journey for some claimants we have to balance the need to provide services along with our responsibility to ensure this is achieved in the most cost effective way. We do not consider the journey to Aberdare Jobcentre to be excessive however claimants will be able to access services at other jobcentres in the area should that be more convenient.The caseload at Mountain Ash for June 2017 was around 330 claimants (Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit claimants who are required to seek employment as a condition of entitlement to benefit). It is our intention to transfer this caseload to Aberdare Jobcentre. Source: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

Social Security Benefits

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children under the age of five were living in households affected by the benefits cap in each of the last four years.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Unemployed People: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the findings of the UK Council for Psychotherapy's analysis of the mental health of unemployed people, published on 16 July 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the findings of the UK Council for Psychotherapy's analysis of the mental health of unemployed people, published on 16 July 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: We are committed to listening to stakeholders, including the UK Council for Psychotherapy. In October 2016 my department published, jointly with the Department of Health Improving Lives: the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper. Our 15-week consultation engaged with disabled people and people with long term conditions, their families and carers, health and social care professionals, their representative bodies, local and national organisations, employers and charities. The consultation received 6000 responses across all sectors. The Government is currently considering the responses and will reach decisions on next steps in due course.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Lord Freud's evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee on 17 September 2012, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the minimum income floor is consistent with party in entitlement to universal credit between self-employed and employed claimants.

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons his Department applies the minimum income floor under universal credit to people who have already been judged by Jobcentre Plus to be in gainful self-employment.

Damian Hinds: Universal Credit is designed to work efficiently for both employed and self-employed people alike. There is parity in the way we treat earnings, and assumed earnings as applied by the Minimum Income Floor, in Universal Credit. A newly gainfully self-employed claimant will have a 12-month start-up period where the Minimum Income Floor isn’t applied. During this time the claimant will have quarterly reviews with their work coach where they will discuss how the business is developing, be signposted to relevant support, and reminded when the Minimum Income Floor will apply. The Minimum Income Floor is an assumed level of earnings set at a level that matches the individual’s work expectation*. It exists to encourage gainfully self-employed individuals to increase their earnings through developing their self-employment. As a result, whilst claimants are gainfully self-employed, and therefore have a Minimum Income Floor applied, they are exempt from having to search for or carry out any other work, allowing them to concentrate on making a success of their business and maximising their returns up to and beyond the level of their Minimum Income Floor. The Minimum Income Floor is designed to address flaws in the current system which allow self-employed claimants to receive full State support while declaring low or zero earnings. It also prevents people from under-declaring earnings. This situation is unsustainable and unfair on the taxpayer. * this is determined by the claimant’s circumstances. If the claimant has no restrictions on the number of hours they can work, we would expect them to look for work for 35 hours per week. If a claimant has a child of school age, for example, we would reduce the work expectation down to school hours, this could be 20 hours per week for example. The MIF is a calculation based on the hours x NMW or NLW (depending on the age of the claimant).

Personal Independence Payment: Bury St Edmunds

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of constituents in Bury St Edmunds constituency have had their personal independence payments overturned as a result of (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) an appeal hearing in each year for which data is available.

Penny Mordaunt: The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances split by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html Table 1 below shows the number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Mandatory Reconsideration decisions where the award was changed by year since the introduction of PIP in the Parliamentary Constituency of Bury St Edmunds. Table 1 - Number of Mandatory Reconsiderations decisions where the award changed by financial year of decision.Year of Mandatory Reconsideration2013/142014/ 152015/ 162016/ 172017/18 (April 17 only)TotalBury St EdmundsLess than 520505010120 Table 2 below shows the Number of appeals found in favour of appellant by financial year, data from Ministry of Justice. Table 2Bury St Edmunds constituency1 Number Found in Favour of AppellantPercentage Found in Favour of Appellant (at hearing)22013-141PIP200%2014-151PIP21440%2015-161PIP214155%2016-171PIP222768% 1 By financial year - from April to March.2 PIP replaced Disability Living Allowance for people aged 16 to 64 and rolled out from 8 April 2013. As such, appeal volumes in HM Courts & Tribunals Service in the Year 2013-2014 are low.

Personal Independence Payment

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants moving from disability living allowance to personal independence payment have been awarded less than they were receiving through disability living allowance in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each year since April 2013.

Penny Mordaunt: The table below shows the number of applicants moving from disability living allowance to personal independence payment who were awarded less than they were receiving through disability living allowance between April 2013 and October 2016, the latest date for which figures are available. Table – Decreased awards following reassessment for PIP in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and England & Wales. Bury St EdmundsSuffolkEngland & WalesJan to Dec 2013###Jan to Dec 2014#30015,200Jan to Dec 20152001,30058,700Jan to Oct 2016100900135,300Total3002,400209,300

Telereal Trillium

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of (a) jobcentres, (b) back of house offices and (c) centres for health and disability assessments earmarked for closure are in buildings covered by his Department's contract with Telereal Trillim.

Caroline Dinenage: The proportion of the number of buildings earmarked for closure covered by the Department’s contract with Telereal Trillium is as follows: a) Jobcentres 97%b) Back of house 84%c) Medical Examination Centres 75%

Jobcentres: Blaenau Gwent

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many female unemployment benefit claimants between the ages of 55 and 64 have secured jobs through job centres in Blaenau Gwent during the last three years.

Damian Hinds: Benefit claimants are not required to report their destination to Jobcentre Plus when they stop claiming benefit. However, as we roll out Universal Credit, we expect to be able to use Real Time Information (RTI) to track claimant outcomes.

AEA Group: Pensions

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people affected by the failure of the AEA Technology pension scheme.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to assist people affected by the failure of AEA  Technology pension scheme.

Guy Opperman: The Government created the Pension Protection Fund as a lifeboat to support members of defined benefit pension schemes where the sponsoring employer is unable to meet its pension liabilities following an insolvency event. Compensation is paid at 100 per cent for existing pensioners. Individuals below their scheme pension age at the date of insolvency are paid compensation based on 90 per cent of their accrued pension, subject to an overall cap. In April this year the Government increased the cap to take account of individuals who have long service in a single scheme. The AEA Technology pension scheme went into the Pension Protection Fund in July 2016, and it is estimated that 3,000 people have been affected as a result. Affected individuals are now covered by Pension Protection Fund compensation arrangements.

First Aid: Mental Health

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to amend health and safety regulations on first aid training and needs assessment for mental health.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government is considering how best to improve and extend mental health first aid training and needs assessment, including considering the role of regulation. Improving workplace mental health is a priority for this Government and the Independent Review of Mental Health and Employers, due to report this Autumn, will also make recommendations to Government in this area.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2017 to Question 5348, how many health and safety assessments on cladding and external wall insulation systems have been carried out by the Health and Safety Executive on buildings over 18 metres high in the last seven years.

Penny Mordaunt: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not undertaken any health and safety assessments on cladding and external wall insulation systems on buildings over 18 metres high in the last seven years. Such assessments are not required by health and safety at work legislation.

Jobcentres: Closures

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants accessing jobcentre services are (a) long-term unemployed, (b) identified as having additional support needs and (c) identified as having additional employment skills or training needs; what steps his Department has taken to review the needs of long-term unemployed and other claimants with identified needs; and what additional support his Department plans to provide to such claimants as a result of planned jobcentre closures.

Damian Hinds: As of February 2017, there were 6.8 million working age benefit claimants, of whom 480,000 were on Jobseekers Allowance. 150,000 had been claiming JSA for over 12 months. A further 280,000 people were in the Universal Credit ‘Searching for Work’ group. Information on the duration of Universal Credit claims by conditionality group is not currently available. This also means that it not possible to calculate the overall proportion of claimants who are long-term unemployed. Published information is not available on (b) and (c). We will be maintaining services to claimants and will continue to support them with changes in Jobcentre location, taking into account their individual circumstances, including any health conditions, disabilities or caring responsibilities.

Jobcentres: Reorganisation

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of regional corporate hubs or shared premises as part of the planned changes to jobcentres.

Damian Hinds: The Department believes that the mix of locations and buildings chosen will give us the best opportunity to deliver our Corporate Centre strategy whilst future-proofing our Corporate Centre estate. The planned Corporate Centre hubs give us an opportunity to provide the right workspace, whilst ensuring that we minimise under-used space and that colleagues aren’t spread across numerous locations. Hubs will be designed to encourage more effective collaborative working between wider teams, along with other work space benefits i.e. areas for small informal meetings, quiet working and group working. In terms of co-location and sharing premises, we have worked with DWP operational colleagues and Local Authority leaders to identify and progress Jobcentre co-location opportunities which benefit both the taxpayer and customers

Jobcentres: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the evidential basis is for the jobcentre services in Scotland meeting the Government's criteria of three miles or 20 minutes radius travel distance for claimants to reach a jobcentre; what modes of transport his Department used in its assessment of travel time; what consultation his Department has carried out with claimants affected by proposed jobcentre closures; and what additional support or funding his Department plans to provide to claimants with additional travel costs.

Damian Hinds: Guidelines around the movement of jobcentres, referred to as ‘ministerial criteria’, have been used for many years across the whole of the UK network. They originated from a desire to standardise the circumstances when considering the movement of one jobcentre to another. They do not reflect the travel times for all claimants, many of whom routinely travel much further or longer to reach their nearest jobcentre. Jobcentre distances and journey times were calculated using a variety of methods to ensure as accurate an assessment as possible, recognising the number of variables that might factor in claimants actual journeys. This included online tools and timetables, information collected on local public transport routes, and input and scrutiny from local DWP colleagues and management. Whilst there is no statutory requirement to do so, DWP opted to carry out a public consultation to seek the views of everyone with an interest in the closure Jobcentres that were outside of the ministerial criteria. Jobseekers who have been claiming Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance for more than 13 weeks can apply for a Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card, which halves the cost of pay as you go bus fares. Furthermore, the Flexible Support Fund can, where appropriate, be used to help claimants with travel costs of undertaking various work search activities (for example formal training) or job interviews. The reimbursement of travel costs is available to claimants when they are required to attend the jobcentre for appointments other than mandatory fortnightly signing appointments. In addition, those claiming Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support are not required to attend their local jobcentre on a regular basis.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Learning Disability

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that people with a learning disability who are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance have access to additional specialist employment support.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to ensure that employers have access to the skills and knowledge necessary to employ someone with a learning disability.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase employment opportunities for people with a learning disability in (a) the public sector and (b) the wider economy.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government is strongly committed to increasing employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities and are working across Government and with local authorities, voluntary organisations and employers in the public and private sectors to achieve this. For people with a learning disability or autism who are known to adult social care services, or those in contact with secondary mental health services, we are working with local authorities, to test an approach to delivering supported employment, with payments based on employment outcomes. We are also testing supported work experience for young disabled people aged 18-24 flowing into the Work-Related Activities Group of Employment Support Allowance or the Universal Credit equivalent. Those young people with little or no work experience will be offered a supported work experience placement with an employer, to help them gain confidence and encourage them to look for work. Although the proof of concept is pan-disability we expect a significant proportion of those taking part to have a learning disability. Eligibility to specialist employment support programmes such as Work Choice (WC) and Specialist Employability Support (SES) is not benefit or disability specific, but does include claimants who are on Jobseeker's Allowance and who have a learning disability. Of all those to have who started Work Choice, 56% were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and almost a quarter had a mild learning disability/moderate to severe learning disability. We are promoting Disability Confident among employers, including the benefits to business of employing people with learning disabilities. Almost 5,000 employers have now signed up to be Disability Confident, including all Government Departments. Access to Work is also available to help people with learning disabilities into employment, such as funding for a Job Coach to support a person’s induction and provide on-site training in a new job. DWP publishes online guidance for employing people with health conditions and disabilities, including learning disabilities. It provides information to help employers increase their understanding of disability and enable them to recruit and support disabled people and those with long term health conditions in work. The Disability Confident scheme provides links to a range of guidance and other resources to enable employers to become more confident when recruiting and retaining disabled people. The guidance can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employing-disabled-people-and-people-with-health-conditions/employing-disabled-people-and-people-with-health-conditions The Green Paper Improving Lives; the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper, asked questions about how we better support people into employment and highlighted learning disabilities as an area for further discussion. We engaged in a wide range of conversations with stakeholders during the consultation period and received over 6000 responses. We are now carefully considering these formulating next steps for longer-term reform.

Employment: Learning Disability

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of personal independence payments on retention of employment among people with a learning disability.

Penny Mordaunt: This is being considered in response to the recommendation outlined in the Second Independent Review of the PIP Assessment, which asked the Government to explore ways in which PIP may be an enabler in improving employment retention. However, the effect on claimants with specific conditions such as learning disabilities has not been explored as PIP is not awarded by health condition, but because of the way it impacts the claimant’s ability to live an independent life.

Employment: Learning Disability

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the costs and benefits of increasing the employment rate of people with a learning disability.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not available.

Jobcentres: Closures

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of jobcentre and Jobcentre Plus closures on the ability of jobcentre users to access job opportunities.

Damian Hinds: Work Coaches work with claimants to ensure that they optimise their chances in the labour market. This includes supporting claimants to develop their confidence and capability to access the widest range of job opportunities, signposting to suitable sources of vacancies and specialist services. This support is a core element of the jobcentre service which will be provided from the claimant’s new jobcentre.

Jobcentres: Closures

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment was carried out prior to jobcentre and Jobcentre Plus closures on the potential effect of such closures on the levels of (a) poverty and (b) unemployment in the affected areas.

Damian Hinds: Throughout the redesign of DWP’s estate, the department has been mindful of its duties under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 and the impact of its plans on its colleagues and customers. DWP can confirm that an Equality Analysis’ were undertaken for each site that is closing or moving.

Citizens Advice Scotland

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) on which date he last met Citizens Advice Scotland and (b) what issues were discussed during that meeting.

Damian Hinds: There have been no meetings between the current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Citizens Advice Scotland.

Jobcentres: Closures

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Minister for Employment's oral contribution of 19 July 2017, Official Report, column 823, whether trade unions have been informed that no job losses will result from the proposed closure of jobcentres in Scotland; and how many additional staff will be recruited as front line staff and work coaches.

Damian Hinds: Trade Unions have been informed that we will seek to relocate or offer alternative roles to all DWP employees impacted by office closures across the DWP estate. But in some cases, this may not be reasonable and redundancies may be required. Although we are reducing the number of offices, this is not about reducing frontline jobs. Since 1 April 2017 we have recruited approx. 2,230 (up to 31 August) staff into key Operations roles and, in every nation and region, there will be an increase in Jobcentre Plus staff from the beginning of this process to its end.

Jobcentres: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the equality impact assessment on jobcentre closures in Scotland; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

Damian Hinds: Equality analyses are not routinely separately published. However, throughout the redesign of our estate the department has been mindful of its duties under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 and the impact of its plans on its colleagues and customers.

Work Capability Assessment: Audio Recordings

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment in North West England requested that their assessments be recorded in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Penny Mordaunt: Information on the number of claimant requests for recording Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) assessments is not available. All requests for an ESA assessment to be recorded are handled and delivered by the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA). Information on the number of claimant requests for recording Personal Independence Payment assessments is not available. Claimant requests to record the consultation are permissible so long as they fulfill the conditions set out by the Department.

Work Capability Assessment: Audio Recordings

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 5 April 2017 to Question 69482, on work capability assessments, when he expects the results of the pilot to test audio recording of personal independence payment face-to-face assessments to be published.

Penny Mordaunt: We have always been clear that we are continuously looking at ways to improve the claimant experience and this pilot provided an opportunity to examine whether there are any benefits to audio recording face-to-face assessments.Whilst the evaluation findings of this small scale pilot will not be published separately they will help inform the Government’s response to the Second Independent Review.

Jobcentres: Location

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4515, what assessment he has made of potential transport difficulties experienced by claimants travelling to a different jobcentre from the one they currently attend; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: During the consultation, the catchment area of each jobcentre was investigated and specific travel times and bus routes were compiled locally. Our work coaches personalise the support provided for each claimant based on individual need and circumstance. Where claimants have limitations due to a health condition or disability or because of caring responsibilities, then this is taken into account when arranging any attendance. DWP acknowledges that the proposals included in the consultation may increase travel costs for some claimants. We also recognise that some claimants will be taking an unfamiliar journey: work coaches will support these people over the transition period until they become familiar with their new travel arrangements. Claimants can also make a request to attend a jobcentre that is closer to their home, or with more convenient travel links, if that better suits their needs. Our work coaches will help signpost claimants in such circumstances. DWP is able to reimburse travel costs for claimants and customers, taking into account their particular circumstances, who attend the jobcentre outside their minimum requirement of attendance. This is not new and is the case for any claimant required to attend a jobcentre throughout the UK. Support to meet travel costs is also available to eligible claimants via the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card, depending on the operator or route.

Jobcentres: Location

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4515, if he will publish the equality analysis referred to; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: Equality analyses are not routinely separately published. However, throughout the redesign of our estate the department has been mindful of its duties under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 and the impact of its plans on its colleagues and customers.

Jobcentres: Liverpool Riverside

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4515, what estimate his Department has made of the number of claimants living outside Liverpool, Riverside who will be directed to jobcentres in Liverpool, Riverside; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: Claimant numbers have fallen over the last 3 years and although it is not possible to provide a breakdown of claimant numbers who may be asked to travel to a jobcentre inside or outside the Riverside constituency, I can give assurance that the wider impacts on local communities were taken into account as part of review of our estate. Our Work Coaches personalise the support they provide for each claimant based on individual need and circumstance, including the offer of home visits and postal signing where appropriate. The needs of vulnerable claimants, such as those limited by a health condition or disability or because of caring responsibilities, are taken into account when arranging any attendance.

Jobcentres: Liverpool Riverside

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4515, what estimate his Department has made of the number of Liverpool, Riverside  residents who will be directed to different jobcentres than those they currently attend; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: Claimant numbers have fallen over the last 3 years and although it is not possible to provide a breakdown of claimant numbers who may be asked to travel to a jobcentre inside or outside the Riverside constituency, I can give assurance that the wider impacts on local communities were taken into account as part of review of our estate. Our Work Coaches personalise the support they provide for each claimant based on individual need and circumstance, including the offer of home visits and postal signing where appropriate. The needs of vulnerable claimants, such as those limited by a health condition or disability or because of caring responsibilities, are taken into account when arranging any attendance.

Social Security Benefits: Payments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library a memorandum setting out in respect of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance and (c) universal credit (i) those prompts within the computer system designed to alert staff to cases in which claimants are waiting more than 10 days for the determination of their claims and (ii) the circumstances in which those cases are reported to managers.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Work Capability Assessment: Pensioners

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people over retirement age in receipt of disability living allowance have been called in for a review in the last four years.

Penny Mordaunt: The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Pensioners

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people over state retirement age have applied for personal independence payments; and how many of those people are now in receipt of that benefit.

Penny Mordaunt: PIP and DLA are only available to people who claim before they reach the age of 65. All existing claimants to Disability Living Allowance who were aged between 16 and 64 when Personal Independence Payment was introduced on 8 April 2013 were invited to make a claim and were assessed for the new benefit if they choose to claim it. I would like to refer you to the detailed statistics for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) that can be found in Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. These statistics provide a breakdown, by age of the number of PIP claims registered for both new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessment claims for each month since PIP was introduced in April 2013. These statistics also provide monthly breakdowns of the number of claims in payment (e.g. awarded PIP) by age.

Employment Schemes: Disadvantaged

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to replace funding from the European Social Fund for employment programmes after the UK leaves the EU.

Damian Hinds: Leaving the EU means we will take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding, including supporting young people from disadvantaged groups and communities. For European Social Fund projects signed before we leave the EU which continue after we have left the EU, funding will be honoured provided they are value for money and in line with domestic strategic priorities.

Personal Independence Payment

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference  to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44265, if the Government will respond to the second Independent review of the personal independence payment assessment, published on 30 March 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: Yes.We are currently considering Paul Gray’s latest set of recommendations and plan to respond later this year.

Work Capability Assessment: Chronic Illnesses

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is given to work capability assessors who deal with claimants who suffer from chronic fluctuating conditions.

Penny Mordaunt: It is recognised that over time most conditions fluctuate to some degree and that it is therefore essential that the assessment works for people with fluctuating conditions. The Health Professional carrying out the assessment is directed not to focus on an individual’s ‘best day’ or take a ‘snapshot’ of their condition on the day of their face-to-face consultation but to take a view of the claimant’s ability over a longer period of time. This presents a more coherent picture of the disabling effects of the claimant’s health condition. The Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) engages with relevant stakeholders in developing their training for Health Professionals, who receive comprehensive training in disability analysis. This includes a functional evaluation as to how medical conditions and the long-term medical treatment of those conditions affect an individual over time.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Dementia

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent analysis his Department has undertaken of scientific evidence linking air pollution to dementia, and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Department secures advice on effects of air pollution on public health from Public Health England, and the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP). Public Health England continues to keep the evidence under review. COMEAP has been commissioned to further consider the available evidence and will report in due course.

Whisky: Scotland

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to protect the status of Scottish whisky as a premium product in exports to the US after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Scotch Whisky is one of the UK’s great export success stories with global exports worth £4bn in 2016. In the USA, Scotch Whisky is already protected in US Federal Law which refers to Scotch Whisky as, “whisky which is a distinctive product of Scotland, manufactured in Scotland in compliance with the laws of the United Kingdom regulating the manufacture of scotch whisky for consumption in the United Kingdom”. There is no reason for this to change as a result of EU exit. More generally, our International Action Plan for food and drink exports details how Government and industry will continue to work in partnership to promote UK food and drink overseas, break down trade barriers and open up new international markets.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Government Ministers on the future of farm subsidies after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State attended the Royal Welsh Show on 24 July where he held discussions with Welsh Government Ministers and stakeholders on future agricultural policy. A ministerial meeting is also scheduled to take place in late September.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Fire Regulations

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 4446, on what date work began on simplifying the fire safety guidance relating to Building Regulations Approved Document B.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Insulation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he has estimated how much of insulation used in high-rise and low-rise buildings is (a) polyisocyanurate foam, (b) phenolic foam and (c) mineral wool insulation.

Alok Sharma: We have asked all owners of buildings over 18 metres with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding to submit samples to the BRE for screening to establish whether the materials submitted are of limited combustibility. Where samples that are sent in do not meet the limited combustibility test we are also collecting information on what insulation materials have been used.Summary advice published on 5 September (available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-update-and-consolidated-advice-for-building-owners-following-large-scale-testing) sets out the results of screening tests and the seven large-scale system tests conducted over the summer, and includes the numbers of these buildings which have the type of insulation used.

Buildings: Insulation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he will consider a system of binary classification of building cladding material as either combustible or non-combustible.

Alok Sharma: The Government will consider this issue in light of the Independent Review on Building Regulations and Fire Safety, the findings of the Public Inquiry and on going building safety work.

Fire Regulations

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy to maintain the desktop study route for materials to meet fire safety approval.

Alok Sharma: The Government will consider this issue in light of the Independent Review on Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and on going building safety work.

Wind Power: Noise

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of adopting the recommendations of the report of the Northern Ireland Assembly's Committee for the Environment of 2015 on wind energy to replace ETSU-R-97 with a method of measuring loudness that brings wind turbine noise controls in line with other industrial controls.

Alok Sharma: The Northern Ireland Assembly Environment committee made their recommendation to revise wind turbine noise guidelines with a view to considering the noise impact on nearby resident's day to day lives. This issue has been addressed through the written statement covering wind farm applications, made by my Rt Hon Friend Greg Clark MP, the previous Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on 18 June 2015, Official Report, column 9WS: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2015-06-18/HCWS42/Only if the applicant is able to demonstrate that the planning impacts identified by the affected local community have been fully addressed, including noise, can the planning authority grant permission.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will ensure that relevant lessons on fire prevention in high-rise buildings are learned from countries which have a good record of preventing fires in such buildings.

Alok Sharma: The Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, led by Dame Judith Hackitt, was announced by the government on 28 July 2017.The Terms of Reference were published on 30 August. These make clear that the Review will look at other international regulatory systems for buildings and regulatory systems in other sectors with similar safety risks.The Review will draw upon international experience of regulatory frameworks and the frameworks covering other industries as it fully recognises the important contribution it will make in eventual recommendations made to the government.

Building Regulations: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 July 2017 to Question 2714, if he will publish research or work commissioned before the Grenfell Tower fire in preparation for the revision of Approved Document B of the Building Regulations.

Alok Sharma: The Government has commissioned Dame Judith Hackitt to carry out an Independent Review of Building Regulations and fire safety. We will make work undertaken on Approved Document B before the Grenfell Tower fire, including research, available to Dame Judith as well as to the public inquiry.

Grenfell Tower: Fire Extinguishers

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether Grenfell Tower was equipped with a functioning wet or dry riser system.

Alok Sharma: I cannot comment on the specific systems used in Grenfell Tower, as this is a matter for the public inquiry and the on going police investigation.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what evidence his Department holds on compliance with Article 12 of the Issue of energy performance certificates of the Evaluation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU for buildings (a) rented and (b) leased; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Government has published energy performance certificate data that includes buildings that are rented or let: https://epc.opendatacommunities.org/

Scotland Office

Citizens Advice Scotland

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, (a) on which date he last met representatives of Citizens Advice Scotland and (b) what issues were discussed.

David Mundell: Ministers and officials regularly meet with a wide range of stakeholders on a variety of issues to ensure that Scotland has a voice in Westminster. The Government publishes a list of all ministerial meetings with external bodies on departmental business on a quarterly basis.

Food Banks

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, on which date he last visited a food bank.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, on what date he last visited a food bank in Scotland.

David Mundell: I have not visited a food bank in my capacity as Secretary of State for Scotland.

Food Banks

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he plans to visit a food bank in the month of September 2017.

David Mundell: I currently have no plans to visit a food bank in my capacity as Secretary of State for Scotland in September 2017.

HM Treasury

Debts

Jo Stevens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect that a statutory breathing space for indebted households would have on alleviating problem debt and bankruptcy.

Stephen Barclay: The government fully supports the principles of better debt management and lower levels of problem debt. This government has a manifesto commitment to introduce a statutory breathing space that would give heavily indebted consumers a period of respite from enforcement action, and further interest and charges for a period of up to six weeks. Where appropriate, they will be offered a statutory repayment plan to help them pay back their debts in a sustainable way. We will outline further information on how this policy could be implemented in due course.

Halifax Bank of Scotland: Fraud

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has spent in connection with HBOS fraud cases since they arose.

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department has given to people affected by the HBOS fraud cases.

Stephen Barclay: The investigations into lending by HBOS are a matter for Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and the Financial Conduct Authority. They are on-going, independent investigations, and it would therefore not be appropriate for the government to intervene. The government expects that the investigation by Professor Russel Griggs will help LBG to resolve outstanding cases as soon as possible, so that any victims of fraud at HBOS Reading can be properly compensated.

Foreign Exchange

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4713, how he will ensure that the research on the effect of pricing structures on consumer value choices is used to inform policy; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: In my answer of 17 July I stated that Government does not intend to publish the research it conducted earlier in the year on the effects of transparency in overseas money transfers (involving foreign exchange) on consumer decisions as it relates to the formulation and development of ongoing Government policy. The research helped to inform the Government’s response to its consultation on the implementation of the second Payment Services Directive, which was published on 19 July 2017.

Annuities

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to make changes to the criteria for enhanced annuity on the grounds of ill health.

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to alter the criteria for claiming an enhanced annuity on the grounds of ill health.

Stephen Barclay: The criteria for enhanced annuities on the grounds of ill health are set by individual pension providers in the terms and conditions of individual policies. Consumers should check with pension providers whether they are eligible for an enhanced annuity. As the Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published Retirement Outcomes Review interim report noted, over 90% of all enhanced annuities are purchased on the open market and consumers should shop around for the best possible deal.

Cooperatives: Regulation

Rachel Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has for regulation of cooperatives after the UK has left the EU.

Stephen Barclay: There are no current plans to review the regulatory framework for co-operatives. The Government is committed to supporting the co-operatives sector and is currently consulting on a proposal announced at Spring Budget 2017, to increase the thresholds at which co-operatives and community benefit societies have to appoint an auditor. This will allow societies to use more of their resources to benefit their members instead of completing onerous administration.

Foreign Exchange

Andy Slaughter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department's decision not to gold-plate the Payment Services Regulations by increasing transparency in foreign exchange pricing is consistent with the Government's stated approach to gold-plating; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The decision not to increase transparency in foreign exchange pricing is consistent with the Government’s approach to transposing other EU Directives, which is not to gold-plate and go beyond the requirements of the Directive wherever possible.

Foreign Exchange

Andy Slaughter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government response to the consultation on the Payment Services Regulations, what steps his Department will take to (a) bear in mind the disclosure requirements listed in recital 84 of the Payment Services Directive and (b) achieve greater transparency.

Stephen Barclay: The Government did not include a requirement in the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (PSRs) for increased transparency as it had to weigh up the potential benefits of doing so against other issues, such as the Government’s approach to implementing maximum harmonising Directives. The Government encourages all firms to bear in mind the recitals of the second Payment Services Directive and operate within the spirit of the Directive.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the regulatory body responsible for enforcing the PSRs. As part of ensuring that firms comply with the specific requirements of the Regulations, the Government is extending the FCA's rule-making powers to allow them to, among other things, make rules on financial promotions for payment institutions and e-money institutions.On 19 July 2017 the FCA clarified concerns it has about some firms' misleading use of currency converter tools in relation to their currency transfer services. It announced plans to consult on making new rules within this market using the extended powers.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of increases in alcohol duty on the viability of pubs.

Andrew Jones: The Treasury keeps all taxes under review and engages with a wide variety of organisations to understand industry developments, including the beer and pub industry and public health groups.

Debts

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to establish a breathing space scheme for vulnerable families in debt.

Stephen Barclay: The government fully supports the principles of better debt management and lower levels of problem debt. This government has a manifesto commitment to introduce a statutory breathing space that would give heavily indebted consumers a period of respite from enforcement action, and further interest and charges for a period of up to six weeks. Where appropriate, they will be offered a statutory repayment plan to help them pay back their debts in a sustainable way. We will outline further information on how this policy could be implemented in due course.

Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Treasury has exempted gambling services from The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017.

Stephen Barclay: The Government has exempted the gambling sector (except for non-remote and remote casinos) from The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLRs). The Government’s reasoning is set out in its consultation response of March 2017 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/money-laundering-regulations-2017/money-laundering-regulations-2017 As per Regulation 16(3)(c) of the MLRs, the Government will keep under review whether providers of gambling services other than casinos should continue to be excluded from the requirements of these Regulations.

Foreign Exchange: Small Businesses

Patricia Gibson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 18 April 2017 to Question 69488, whether his Department's research on the effect of pricing structures on consumer understanding of foreign currency transaction fees will inform the Payment Services Regulations.

Stephen Barclay: The research on the effects of transparency in overseas money transfers (involving foreign exchange) on consumer decisions helped to inform the Government’s response to its consultation on the implementation of the second Payment Services Directive (PSDII), which was published on 19 July 2017. The Government did not include a requirement in the Payment Services Regulations 2017 for increased transparency as it had to weigh up the potential benefits of doing so against other issues, such as the Government’s approach to implementing maximum harmonising Directives.

National Insurance Contributions: Offenders

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what date he intends to implement a national insurance contributions exemption for businesses employing ex-offenders.

Norman Lamb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will provide a holiday on employers' national insurance contributions for a full year for (a) those with a disability, (b) those with chronic mental health problems, (c) ex-offenders, (d) those unemployed for a year or more, (e) care leavers and (f) veterans.

Mel Stride: The Government will set out its plans in due course.

Plastic Surgery: VAT

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the rate of VAT payable for cosmetic surgery procedures is calculated.

Mel Stride: There is no special rate or calculation of VAT that applies specifically to cosmetic services. If the primary purpose of the treatment is for the protection, maintenance or restoration of the health of the individual, then no VAT will be charged on the procedure. VAT is charged at the standard rate on other cosmetic services.

Cash Dispensing: Rural Areas

Jamie Stone: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect of closure of ATMs in rural areas on the economies and communities of those areas.

Stephen Barclay: The Government believes that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. The Government has made no assessment of the effect of closure of ATMs on rural economies and communities, but is monitoring developments within the UK’s ATM network – LINK - as is the Payment Systems Regulator. The number of ATMs has increased from 36,000 in 2001 to over 70,000 in 2016. LINK also runs a financial inclusion programme which subsidises free to use ATMs in areas without existing access. LINK has identified 1,700 rural and/or deprived ‘target’ areas, and the majority of these areas are now served by 1,110 ATMs, up from 171 in 2007. The Government regularly engages with industry on access to payment services.

Business: Terrorism

Neil Coyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that businesses affected by terrorism do not experience unnecessary delays in receiving payments from insurance providers.

Stephen Barclay: There is an established legal process for the Treasury to certify an act of terrorism for insurance purposes, following formal notification by Pool Re. The Treasury recognises the urgency of responding to requests for certification and treats this as a matter of priority.After the Treasury has issued their certification, it is up to insurers to process any claims from their customers. They will make an assessment based on the evidence available and the insurance coverage purchased by the customer.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) sets the conduct standards required of insurance firms to ensure that these customers are treated fairly, including provisions relating to the handling of claims. The FCA has the power to punish insurers if they are found to be delaying payments unnecessarily. Furthermore, the Enterprise Act 2016 introduced a legal requirement for claims to be made within a reasonable timescale, and created an entitlement to damages where claims are paid late.I am due to meet the Honourable Member shortly and I am happy to discuss his question in further detail.

Revenue and Customs: Brexit

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a position paper on the future of HM Revenue and Customs after the UK leaves the EU and its role in investigating tax avoidance by multinational corporations; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: The UK has been at the forefront of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project. The Government has taken the lead in implementing the project’s recommendations in domestic legislation including a restriction on tax relief for corporate interest expense and rules to prevent multinationals exploiting mismatches between countries’ tax regimes. Leaving the EU will not impact the Government’s commitment to ensure that the UK has a fair and competitive tax system, where taxes are paid. As the UK’s tax authority, HMRC will continue to engage on these issues after the UK leaves the EU.

Non-domestic Rates: Appeals

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the new business rates appeal process known as check, challenge, appeal; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses have registered to use the new business rates appeal process since the check, challenge, appeal system was established in (a) England, (b) each English region and (c) each local authority area.

Mel Stride: I refer the honourable member to the answer provided at UIN HC4957 for information about the effectiveness and use of the new business rates appeals system, Check, Challenge, and Appeal.

Non-domestic Rates: Appeals

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses appealed their business rates in each of the last seven years in (a) England, (b) each English region and (c) each local authority area.

Mel Stride: The number of proposals against the 2010 Rating List received by Valuation Office Agency in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2016-17 are shown in the attached table.These numbers are consistent with the Official Statistics on Non Domestic Rating Challenges and Changes released by the Valuation Office Agency on 24 August 2017.



2010 Local Rating List 
(Word Document, 54.78 KB)

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many eligibility codes for 30 hours of free childcare were generated before the deadline of 31 August 2017.

Elizabeth Truss: At 31st August, 216,384 eligibility codes had been issued for 3 year olds that were valid for the September term.

Fire Extinguishers: Non-domestic Rates

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much is levied each year in additional business rates due to (a) sprinklers and (b) other fire protection systems being classified as plant and machinery or being otherwise subject to higher rates.

Mel Stride: Sprinkler and fire protection systems are named items within the relevant business rates legislation relating to plant and machinery and as such are rateable. The value of such systems are usually reflected in the overall rateable value of the building, although more specialist systems may be separately valued as an individual plant and machinery item.The VOA does not routinely record the proportion of a property's assessment that is attributable to the sprinkler or fire protection systems. Therefore it is not possible to determine how much is levied each year in business rates in respect of sprinklers and fire protections systems.

Fire Extinguishers: Non-domestic Rates

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much is levied in additional business rates on landlords of residential properties as a result of the classification of sprinkler systems as plant and machinery or otherwise so as to attract a higher level of such rates.

Mel Stride: Most residential properties are liable for council tax, not business rates. In the main, it is the occupier of a residential property that is liable for council tax, rather than the landlord. The value of any sprinkler system would usually be included in the council tax banding assessment. The VOA does not routinely record the proportion of a property's assessment that is attributable to a sprinkler system.

CCTV: Non-domestic Rates

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much is levied in additional business rates as a result of the installation of CCTV attracting a higher level of such rates.

Mel Stride: CCTV systems are named items within the relevant business rates legislation relating to plant and machinery and as such are rateable. The value of such systems are usually reflected in the overall value of the building, although more specialist systems may be separately valued as an individual plant and machinery item. The VOA does not routinely record the proportion of a property's assessment that is attributable to a CCTV system. Therefore it is not possible to determine how much is levied each year in business rates in respect of CCTV systems.

Department for Exiting the European Union

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has made to prevent UK nationals from being separated from their families if they become unable to continue to reside and work in an EU state of residence as a result of the outcome of negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: As set out in our policy paper of 26 June, we want to provide as much certainty as possible to the three million EU citizens in the UK and around one million UK nationals in the EU, and for their lives to continue broadly as now. The precise rules around family reunion will be a matter for negotiations. Both the UK and EU have set out to provide reassurance that families should not be disrupted by this process and we are confident that a deal can be achieved.

Aerospace Industry

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions his Department has had with the aerospace industry on the negotiations for the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: Stakeholder engagement is a central element of our plan to build a national consensus around our negotiating position.This department has been listening and talking to aerospace manufacturers and industry groups across the UK and internationally, including Rolls Royce, Airbus, GKN, GE and ADS.We are also working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Ministry of Defence to ensure we have regular dialogue with the aerospace industry. This includes Ministerial attendance at the Aerospace Growth Partnership.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Legal Opinion

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Answer of 5 September 2016 to Question 43742, how much his Department (a) has spent on legal advice to date and (b) forecasts will be spent on legal advice up to March 2019.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) has paid a total of £2,874,304.63 to the Government Legal Department (GLD) as of 31 August 2017 since the formation of the Department. The Department currently has a fixed fee agreement with the GLD of £3.7m per annum for the provision of approximately 40 (full time equivalent) staff who are providing dedicated legal services to DExEU. The department regularly reviews the level of resource required for all activities including legal advice.

EU Nationals: Elections

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the status of EU citizens after the UK has left the EU on the rights of citizens of (a) Ireland, (b) Malta and (c) Cyprus to vote in elections and referendums in the UK.

Mr Robin Walker: The voting rights of citizens of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta are provided for separately in United Kingdom legislation. We have no plans to change the voting rights of Maltese, Cypriot and Irish citizens resident in the UK, including their right to vote in UK parliamentary general elections. As these voting rights do not depend on their EU citizenship, they will not be affected by exiting the EU.

Companies: Registration

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on (a) the total number and (b) trends in the number of UK companies choosing to register in Ireland as a result of the UK's decision to leave the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government is monitoring a wide range of economic indicators, including trends in company incorporation. There has been no significant change in those trends since the EU referendum. Statistics published by the Irish Companies Registration Office show that new company registrations in Ireland were around 22,000 in the year to August 2017, very similar to the rate before the referendum.The UK’s decision to leave the EU means there will be a period of adjustment, but the UK economy is resilient. The unemployment rate is at its lowest level in four decades and the employment rate has never been higher. Businesses have continued to show their confidence in the UK, with major investments announced by GlaxoSmithKline, Google and Apple, among others.Indeed, only last week Aston Martin announced a £500m trade and investment deal between the United Kingdom and Japan which will, amongst other things, benefit its plant in St Athan in Vale of Glamorgan.

National Security

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring future cooperation with the EU on security policy after the UK has left the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: DExEU ministers regularly discuss exit issues with Cabinet and Ministerial colleagues. This includes security. The Prime Minister has been clear that we will continue to work closely with our European partners to tackle a range of security issues.The safety of the British public is a top priority. That security is enhanced through cooperating with Europe. The UK has always been, and will continue to be, a major global player in the fight against threats to security. With the threat constantly evolving, our response must be to work more closely with our partners, including the EU and its Member States, sharing information and supporting each other in combating the threats posed by those who wish us harm.

UK Trade with EU

Mr Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had during negotiations with the EU on a transition period between the UK leaving the EU and the start date of a new trade agreement between the UK and the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Secretary of State raised this matter most recently in the last plenary session of the negotiations. There have not yet been any formal negotiations on transition. The UK Government has repeatedly made clear our intent to agree implementation provisions. As outlined in the Northern Ireland and Ireland Position Paper, Privileges and Immunities Position Paper, and Customs Future Relationship Paper (see attached extracts).This will allow people and businesses in both the UK and the EU to adjust in a smooth and orderly way to new arrangements, and to be able to plan for the future. It will help both sides to minimise disruption if we agree this principle early in the process, and we are ready to begin discussions on the form these provisions might take. 



Position Paper extracts
(PDF Document, 80.4 KB)

Department for International Trade

Defence Equipment: Exports

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the value was of UK export orders of defence equipment and services in each of the last five years.

Mark Garnier: The value of UK defence exports (based on orders) from 2012 – 2016 is shown in the table below.Year£BN20128.820139.820148.520157.720165.9   Source: DIT DSO The data is taken from the official statistics based on orders or sales “UK defence and security export figures 2016”. These are compiled annually by the DIT DSO Market Analysis team and are published on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-defence-and-security-export-figures-2016

Overseas Companies: China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what advice on human rights is given to UK companies doing business in China.

Mark Garnier: HMG publishes Overseas Business Risk guidance for companies operating in many countries including China. This includes sections on child labour, ethnic minorities, gender, migrant workers, working conditions and trade unions. In 2013, HMG also published advice on ‘Good Business – Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights’, which was updated in 2016. The document has been translated into Mandarin Chinese for the benefit of Chinese audiences.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s travel advice for China also details human rights concerns.

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which countries have received invitations from the Government to the Defence and Security Equipment International Exhibition at the ExCel Centre from 12 to 15 September 2017.

Mark Garnier: The following countries have received official invitations to DSEI 2017 from the Department for International Trade’s Defence and Security Organisation: Algeria Australia Austria Bahrain Bangladesh Belgium Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Canada Chile Czech Republic Colombia Denmark Egypt Estonia Finland France Germany India Indonesia Italy Japan Kenya Korea (Rep of) Kuwait Latvia Lithuania Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway Oman PakistanPanama Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Saudi Arabia Singapore South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey UAE Ukraine USA Vietnam

UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the Defence and Security Organisation priority markets are for 2017-18.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade's Defence and Security Organisation has identified the following core markets for 2017-18 with defence and security opportunities:AlgeriaAustraliaAustriaBahrainBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileColombiaDenmarkFinlandFranceGermanyIndiaIndonesiaItaly (lead for Mediterranean Defence Network Defence includes Spain & Portugal)JapanKuwaitLithuania (lead for Baltic Network includes Estonia & Latvia)LuxemburgMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayOmanPoland (lead for Central European Network includes Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia)QatarSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSwedenSwitzerlandThailandTunisiaTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States of America

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Sportsgrounds: Closures

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the extent of purchase of UK sports stadia by private equity companies in the last 10 years; and how many such purchases have been followed by the closure of such stadia.

Tracey Crouch: The department does not hold any information on stadium purchases in the UK or subsequent closures. Sport England has a role as a statutory consultee on any planning application for the redevelopment of a stadium where they contain a pitch, as this would fall under the definition of a playing field. In these circumstances if the stadium was proposed to be redeveloped, Sport England would seek a like for like replacement in a suitable location.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Staff

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list the number of staff employed by her Department by region in each of the least five years.

Matt Hancock: Based on the staff on DCMS’ payroll, the number of staff by UK region in each of the last four years is as follows: 31 March 2014RegionNumber of StaffLondon394 31 March 2015RegionNumber of StaffLondon475   31 March 2016 RegionNumber of StaffLondon519Yorkshire and the Humber7Wales1 31 March 2017 RegionNumber of StaffEast of England3East Midlands1London642North East1North West1South East1South West1Yorkshire and the Humber6

WiFi: Neath

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to improve wifi coverage in Neath constituency.

Matt Hancock: Digital connectivity is a clear priority for this Government. The Super Connected Cities Programme, which closed in 2015, installed WiFi in 1491 public buildings with a combined annual footfall of over 114 million, including in Wales. WiFi was also installed on 1422 public vehicles. BDUK’s Superfast programme will provide at least 24 Megabits per second (Mbps) coverage to 95% of the UK by the end of this year. In Neath, superfast coverage is already above 95%. As a result of the Government's landmark agreement with mobile operators in 2014, each mobile operator will deliver mobile coverage to 90% of the UK's landmass by the end of this year. Additionally O2 will deliver indoor 4G coverage to 95% of premises in Wales, also by the end of 2017.

Mining: Cultural Heritage

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what programmes or events her Department funds to celebrate, protect and promote the culture and heritage of former mining communities.

John Glen: Government recognises the enormous contribution that mining communities have given and continue to give to this country and funds several cultural projects in mining areas through the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic England.One project, a £270,000 grant for the North East England Mining Archive and Research Centre at Sunderland University, will preserve, catalogue and provide access to the archives of the regional coal industry. Heritage Lottery Fund’s Your Heritage scheme also provided funding to the Beamish Museum in County Durham for their Mining Memories project which worked with 40 schools in specific former coalfield communities.

Treasure Act 1996

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to bring forward the review of the Treasure Act Code of Practice.

John Glen: The review of the Treasure Act 1996 (the Act) and Treasure Code of Practice will take the form of a public consultation. My department is working with the British Museum and other stakeholders to do this and we will confirm the timetable for the review at consultation.

Sports

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of reductions in local government funding for sporting facilities on the UK's future prospects for achieving international sporting success.

Tracey Crouch: Local Authorities continue to be the biggest investors in community sport in England​, investing £1.1bn in 2015/16, delivering both community and health benefits and opportunities for talented athletes. ​Sport England works closely with the Local Government sector, investing £258m in community sports facilities over the last five years, attracting an additional £1.2bn investment from other sources spread across more than 2,800 projects. Sport England launched a £15m Community Asset Fund in January 2017 to support local sports infrastructure, and will also invest up to £40m to support the development of large scale facilities. In partnership with UK Sport, Sport England has invested over £8m in elite facilities since 2013 to ensure that world class training environments meet the needs of the World Class Programmes and add value to the local community. In addition, a number of the London 2012 Olympic Venues, such as the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome, are providing a long-term benefit to both community and elite sport. UK Sport is investing £345m​ in Olympic and Paralympic success in the 4-year period leading up to and including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games​, including the funding of talent pathways​ which identify talented young athletes and prepare them for elite competition.

Sports: Wales

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what national funding sources are available to Welsh sporting bodies.

Tracey Crouch: Sport is a devolved matter, and responsibility for the delivery of grassroots sport in Wales sits with Sport Wales. However, UK Sport, ​which receives funding from the UK government and the National Lottery and prepares athletes for Olympic and Paralympic Games, works closely with Sport Wales, including on ​support for leadership in sport, for the 66 World Class Programme athletes who indicate Wales as their home nation, and on​ securing the rights to host major sports events. Such events in Wales since 2013​ have generated an estimated ​£11m in economic impact.

Sports Competitors: Entry Clearances

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department is having with the Home Office on ensuring that transitional arrangements are in place for the entry of elite sports people into the UK after the UK has left the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on (a) the football transfer market and (b) the entry of EU and non-EU players into the UK of the UK leaving the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: The Department recognises the importance of sport to the nation and within that the contribution of international talent, and the UK will seek to continue to attract the best of international talent across all sports. As the Government considers the options for a future immigration system we will also need to understand the potential impacts of any proposed changes in all parts of the UK. We will look to develop a system that works for all in consultation with all relevant sport stakeholders.

Tourist Attractions: Security

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of security arrangements at popular visitor attractions in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

John Glen: While it is for each individual organisation to make sure they have the appropriate arrangements in place, Government continually evaluates security across the UK and taking the necessary steps to ensure the public’s safety. Additionally, DCMS attends the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group chaired by VisitBritain. The group working closely with representatives across the tourism industry to ensure the appropriate steps are being taken.

Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tracey Crouch: Government has published reports on the legacy from London 2012, with the most recent of these in August 2016. This showed that the Games generated over £14.2bn in economic trade and investment benefits, that Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London is thriving and that the country continues to keep the spirit of London 2012 alive through community and arts initiatives established during the Games. The outstanding performances of Team GB and ParalympicsGB at Rio 2016, with both teams finishing second in their respective medal tables, shows that the public investment in elite sport developed in the run-up to 2012 and sustained since has paid dividends. The government's sport strategy, Sporting Future, aims to build on the success of London 2012 and make our country more active, with a sustainable and responsible sport sector, whilst continuing to excel on the world stage.

Telephone Services: Standards

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the (a) process and (b) length of time taken for consumers and businesses to switch fixed telephony providers and mobile telephony providers.

Matt Hancock: The Government is committed to continuing to reduce barriers to switching, which is why the Digital Economy Act 2017, made explicit Ofcom's power to set general conditions for switching within the telecoms markets. Switching process should be led by the organisation with the most interest in making the switching process work effectively, the gaining provider. A Gaining Provider Led switching process is in place for customers that switch their fixed line telephone provider across the Openreach network, which covers the vast majority of phone lines in the UK and can take up to ten working days.

Listed Events: Sports

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect on the sporting listed events of the UK leaving the EU; and whether she has plans to review the list of such events.

Matt Hancock: The Listed Events regime is underpinned by UK law in the Broadcasting Act 1996. The government is assessing how the reciprocal recognition of the listed events between Member States will work after the UK’s departure from the EU. This will depend on the UK’s future relationship with the EU, but will not change while we remain a Member State. The government currently has no plans to review the list of events.

YouTube

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of paid YouTube contributors in the UK.

Matt Hancock: None.

Broadband: Gower

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to improve broadband coverage in Gower constituency.

Matt Hancock: We have committed over £67 million to support broadband delivery in Wales. According to Thinkbroadband, in 2012 only 42% of premises in Gower could access superfast speeds. Currently, over 93% of premises in the constituency have this access, with an estimated 3% added so far in 2017.

Betting Shops

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will introduce measures to prevent clustering of betting shops and reform planning guidance on the placement of betting shops.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on whether the limit of four fixed odds betting terminals per shop is being circumvented by the clustering of betting shops.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is alive to the concerns around the clustering of betting shops. Since 2015, planning permission has been required for any new betting shops on the high street. In addition, the Gambling Act 2005 requires local authorities to set out in a statement of policy the principles by which they manage the gambling environment in the local area. The statement can be used to set out reasons for why it would be inconsistent with licensing objectives to grant additional licences in a given location e.g. safeguarding children or the vulnerable. The Gambling Commission advise that the use of the licensing statement of policy varies from one Local Authority to another, however where used effectively and regularly updated, they can provide an effective tool for appropriately rejecting new licenses or imposing conditions to improve safeguarding and avoid attempts at clustering.

Gaming Machines

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will introduce legislation to increase the delay between spins of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals.

Tracey Crouch: The Gambling Commission's Gaming Machine Technical Standards states that the game cycle for a B2 gaming machines (also known as Fixed Odds Betting Terminals) must last at least 20 seconds to complete. The Gambling Commission is responsible for ensuring that operators adhere to these requirements. The review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures that I announced in October 2016 includes a close look at the regulation of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs). We are hoping to publish findings in October.

Gambling

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what Government assistance is provided to people made financially destitute by gambling addiction.

Tracey Crouch: While addiction is in the main the remit of the Department of Health, I can inform you that the majority of treatment to those experiencing gambling related harm is delivered by GamCare or via the National Problem Gambling Clinic. A range of support is available through these organisations. A range of services available to problem gamblers can be found on the NHS Choices website, including links to the Money Advice Service at:www.nhs.uk/Livewell/addiction/Pages/gamblingaddiction.aspx

Betting Shops

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to introduce stricter obligations on betting shops to determine the financial capacity of people gambling large sums.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is clear that gambling operators must comply with Gambling Commission requirements around Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Social Responsibility in order to determine the financial capacity of individuals. If they fail to do so they risk sanctions including losing their licence to operate. These requirements include the need to deliver effective customer interactions, particularly in relation to 'high value' customers and those most vulnerable. Operators must also have due regard to Gambling Commission advice around 'Duties and responsibilities under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002' including the Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements which include knowing a customer's source of funds.

Music: Education

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote music education and support the development of future professional musicians in the UK.

John Glen: This country has an incredible musical history and the Government wants to ensure that this continues. This Government's introduction of music education hubs has built on and enhanced the music education provision that existed. Music hubs have brought together new partnerships between music services, schools, education and arts organisations. The Government also funds six In Harmony programmes across the country. In Harmony is an intensive music programme for children and young people from disadvantaged communities, using the inspiration and discipline of orchestral music making to raise aspiration, support children’s attainment and enhance families, and communities. Many Arts Council England funded music organisations also run their own education programmes that support and engage with children and young people. In October 2016, Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) relaunched,making £2.8 million of grant support available to independent music small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) up to 2020. It was developed in partnership with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) to help support the launch of UK music acts to international audiences and is funded by the Department for International Trade. The Rehearsal Room Scheme was originally created by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and UK Music. UK Music continue to oversee the scheme which has seen £440,000 invested in 14 pilot music rehearsal spaces were created for young people in a range of urban and rural areas of England experiencing multiple deprivation. The funds were used to provide instruments and equipment, and contributed towards the cost of necessary capital works, such as sound proofing.

Broadband: Inverclyde

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many premises in Inverclyde constituency are able to receive superfast broadband services through BDUK-supported projects in 2017; and what the amount of funding her Department has made available for such projects in Inverclyde constituency during that year.

Matt Hancock: Approximately 38,000 premises in Inverclyde (96% of the total) are able to receive superfast broadband services. To the end of March 2017, 5,581 premises in the constituency had gained superfast broadband coverage thanks to connectivity subsidised by the UK Government. The department does not hold constituency-level financial data. The UK Government has contributed £95 million to support broadband rollout to over 630,000 premises in Scotland. In February 2014 the UK Government committed a further £20.99 million to support a second project in Scotland. The Scottish Government has not yet managed to start procurement of this second project, despite similar projects already being up and running in most other parts of the UK. We have offered technical assistance to the Scottish Government to try to help them catch up.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the number of new arms-length bodies his Department plans to establish once the UK has left the EU.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office has no plans to establish any new arms-length bodies.

Department of Health

Prescriptions

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on patient care of the requirements for routine outpatient clinics working out of a hospital to advise patients that any prescription must be brought to a regular GP to issue an FP10 prescription to then be taken to a pharmacy.

Steve Brine: No Departmental assessment has been made. Where a patient has an immediate need for medication following outpatient attendance, the hospital must supply that medication, rather than requiring the general practitioner (GP) to issue a prescription separately. The supply must be adequate to allow time for the patient’s GP to receive up-to-date information from the hospital about the patient’s care.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice his Department gave to Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospital Trust on myth busting in public communications during the purdah period of the 2017 General Election..

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department did not provide any advice to Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospital Trust on communications during the ‘purdah’ period of the 2017 General Election.

NHS: Vacancies

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to fill vacancies in the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: The NHS professionally qualified clinical workforce grew by 5.8% between May 2010 – May 2017 (including over 11,600 more doctors and over 2,800 more nurses). However we are not complacent and are taking urgent steps to reduce the number of vacancies in the NHS, including: - increasing the number of medical training places by 1,500 a year from September 2018;- £16.4 million of additional funding to enable an increase in the number of clinical placements available across the NHS;- increasing the number of routes in to practice through the use of apprenticeships; and- increasing the rate of retention for key staff groups.Health Education England’s Workforce Plan for 2016/171 sets out how we will ensure that the NHS has a workforce with the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours to meet the needs of patients. Note: 1 https://hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Workforce%20Plan%20for%20England%202016-17.pdf

Continuing Care

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are in receipt of NHS continuing healthcare in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) clinical commissioning group.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on the number of people in receipt of NHS Continuing Healthcare is not held by Parliamentary constituency. The number of people in receipt of NHS Continuing Healthcare as of 31 March 2017 by clinical commissioning group is provided in the attached document.



PQ6991 attached doc.
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.12 KB)

Coeliac Disease: Food

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department is doing to improve access to gluten-free food for people with coeliac disease.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to maintain gluten-free prescriptions on the NHS.

Steve Brine: Staple gluten-free foods continue to be available on prescription for people with coeliac disease. We are in the process of making a decision on whether or not to make any changes to primary care prescribing of gluten-free foods following the recent public consultation.

Coeliac Disease

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department is doing to improve recognition of coeliac disease by primary care health services.

Steve Brine: To support primary care services in the diagnosis, treatment care and support people with coeliac disease, in September 2015 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the best practice guideline Coeliac disease: recognition, assessment and management. The NICE guideline sets out seven recommendations to improve services for coeliac patients and includes implementation advice for the local National Health Service on the provision of the laboratory testing and interpretation of results and access to healthcare professionals trained to give specialist dietetic advice in relation to coeliac disease. The guidance can be found at the following link:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20

Eating Disorders

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the rates of early intervention in treating eating disorders in England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government’s 2014 Autumn Statement announced additional funds of £30 million recurrent per year from 2016-17 to transform services in England for the treatment of children and young people with eating disorders. The Government has introduced a new waiting time standard for the treatment of children and young people with an eating disorder, setting an expectation that by 2020, 95% of those referred will start treatment within one week if the case is urgent and within four weeks if the case is non-urgent. In July 2015, guidance was published by NHS England on the service model for community eating disorder services for children, young people and their parents and carers that has been shown to improve access and outcomes, reduce relapse rates and need for inpatient admission:https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/eating-disorders/Through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), NHS England has commissioned the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health to develop implementation guidance for an eating disorders pathway for adults, building on the recent NICE Clinical Guideline (May 2017) for the recognition and treatment of eating disorders. This will be published in summer 2018 and will be fully informed by the available evidence and the views of experts by experience.

Incontinence

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many continence nurses were employed by each of the 135 acute non-specialist NHS trusts at (a) 31 July 2016 and (b) 31 July 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected centrally by NHS Digital.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Dr  Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure all new mothers' mental health problems are identified as early as possible.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Promoting good maternal and perinatal mental health is a key priority for this Government, as set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. The Department is investing £365 million from 2015/16 to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services, and NHS England is leading a transformation programme to ensure that by 2020/21 at least 30,000 more women each year are able to access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period. A key element of the transformation programme is to increase awareness and skills across the workforce, supporting better identification of perinatal mental illness, early intervention and consequently improved recovery rates. In addition, the Department has published guidance which has led to the creation of over 570 perinatal mental health visitor champions. Their role is to support health visitors with the identification and management of anxiety, mild to moderate depression and other perinatal mental disorders, and to know when to refer on to a specialist.

Surrogate Motherhood: Lone Parents

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Question 66737, when he plans to introduce legislative proposals to give single parents with children born through surrogacy the same rights as couples.

Mr Philip Dunne: Drafting work on the remedial order is ongoing, which we currently estimate will be laid in the autumn session of Parliament.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of mental health advice given by health care professionals during the antenatal period.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not collect data on the effectiveness of mental health advice given by healthcare professionals during the antenatal period.

Surrogate Motherhood: Lone Parents

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to lay before Parliament a remedial order to allow single parents to apply for a parental order following surrogacy.

Mr Philip Dunne: Drafting work on the remedial order is ongoing, which we currently estimate will be laid in the autumn session of Parliament.

Hospital Beds

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on patient safety of exceeding the average bed occupancy rate recommended by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not set a target occupancy rate, but official statistics show that the bed occupancy rate has remained stable, between 84% and 89% (all beds) since 2000. National Health Service hospitals need to manage beds effectively in order to cope with peaks in demand. Occupancy rates are higher in winter, when demands are at their greatest. Bed availability fluctuates, but the NHS has practice and experience in managing capacity to cope with both routine and emergency care. It is the responsibility of individual hospitals to manage the day-to-day running of their organisations, considering issues such as patient flow and throughput, safety and infections. NHS England publishes quarterly information on the numbers of available and occupied beds open overnight or day only in NHS organisations, most recently for quarter 1 of 2017/18. National time series of these data are available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/bed-data-overnight/andhttps://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/bed-data-day-only/

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 1.86 of the Autumn Statement 2014, how much of the £150 million made available for child and adolescent eating disorder services has been allocated to each clinical commissioning group for 2017-18.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health stated that £30 million of the £150 million of additional funding to be made available for child and adolescent eating disorders would be allocated to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) as part of their financial baselines for each of the five financial years 2016/17 to 2020/21. £30 million was allocated to CCGs in 2016/17 and has been included again in CCG allocations for 2017/18. As it has been added to baselines we are unable to provide a breakdown of the £30 million by individual CCG for 2017/18.

Mental Health Services

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to tackle long hospital stays for patients with complex mental health needs as a result of insufficient community or rehabilitation services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are committed to ensuring that people receive timely access to high quality care in the least restrictive setting and as close to home as possible. To this end, NHS England is investing more than £400 million into community Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Teams for adults over four years from April 2017. £1.4 billion investment has been committed over five years to increase community and inpatient provision in children and young people’s mental health services. NHS England is developing mental health care pathways and implementation guides, comprising a clear set of quality benchmarks covering both acute inpatient and community based settings from referral through to discharge for all ages. A number of changes have been made to national data collections to reflect new policy developments. This will enable reliable monitoring of activity across the mental health system, including improved data on delayed transfers of care from mental health inpatient settings and on length of hospital stay. This will provide greater transparency at a national level and support improvements locally.

NHS: Drugs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total expenditure was by the NHS on pharmaceutical industry products in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The total expenditure by the National Health Service in England on pharmaceutical products for the period 2012-13 to 2016-17 is shown in the table below. Department of Health pharmaceutical expenditure by sectorYearPrimary care drugs spend 1Secondary care drugs spend2Total drugs spend(£ billion)(£ billion)(£ billion)2012/137.95.112.92013/148.05.313.32014/158.25.914.12015/168.56.515.12016/178.56.915.4 Notes:Primary care drug spend figures from 2013-14 are taken from Department of Health annual report and accounts. Primary care figures for 2012-13 are from primary care trusts (PCT) audited summarisation schedules. Secondary care drug spend figures from 2013-14 are sourced from Monitor and NHS Trust Development Authority (now NHS Improvement). Prior to 2013-14 secondary care drug figures were taken from a combination of NHS trust data, PCT finance returns and consolidated foundation trust year-end accounts. PCT finance returns were not collected in 2012-13 and NHS trust drug spend for this year is estimated. Secondary care expenditure on drugs includes spend on VAT and medical gases. Drugs prescribed in hospitals but dispensed in the community are also included in secondary care data. Numbers may not sum due to rounding.

Diabetes: Drugs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has spent on drugs and products related to diabetes in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: Diabetes is mainly treated in the community so information on the costs of prescriptions dispensed in the community is provided below. Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) of drugs used in diabetes for prescriptions written in England and dispensed in the community in the United Kingdom YearNIC (millions)2012/13£764.12013/14£803.12014/15£868.62015/16£956.72016/17£983.7Source: ePACT

General Practitioners

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs in Great Britain and Northern Ireland registered to practise there were on 1 July 2017.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not held by the Department. The General Medical Council is the independent regulator of doctors in the United Kingdom and has provided the following information:The number of registered doctors on the general practitioner (GP) Register with a licence to practise at close of business on 30 June 2017 was 60,833. The GP register covers the whole of the UK.

Diabetes: Nurses

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many specialist diabetes nurses there were on 1 July 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is not held centrally.

Obesity: Surgery

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many bariatric procedures were conducted in 2016.

Mr Philip Dunne: A count of 6,702 finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of obesity and with a main or secondary operative procedure for 'bariatric surgery' in England for 2016 includes provisional data which is for the months April-December 2016.

Dewsbury and District Hospital

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to visit Dewsbury and District Hospital in the next 12 months.

Mr Philip Dunne: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State frequently visits trusts across the country and will continue to do so over the next year.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of claims made by care providers that paying historical minimum wage arrears owed to care workers who have carried out sleep-in shifts would compromise the financial viability of that sector.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government has received many representations from social care providers about the implications of being required to pay penalties or arrears relating to underpayment of the National Minimum Wage. The Government will waive the financial penalties faced by employers who are found to have underpaid their workers for “sleep-in” shifts. The waiver is to apply to any arrears of pay resulting from “sleep-in” shifts that took place before 26 July 2017.The Government will continue to work with representatives of the social care sector to see how it might be possible to minimise any impact on provision of social care as a result of this situation. To allow this work to take place before deadlines of arrears of wages are enforced, the Government has adopted a policy of temporarily suspending enforcement activity of “sleep-in” shifts. This suspension will apply until 2 October 2017.

Hospices: Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase the parity of funding of children's hospices and adult hospices.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government strongly values the crucial role of the children's hospice sector in providing excellent end-of-life care across the country. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for determining the level of National Health Service-funded hospice care locally and they should ensure that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population.In addition to NHS funding for locally commissioned services, children’s hospices received £11 million in 2017/18 through the Children’s Hospice grant, which is awarded annually and administered centrally by NHS England. NHS England engaged with children’s hospices through the children’s charity Together for Short Lives prior to a consultation on the allocation method for the 2017/18 grant. In April 2017 NHS England made available a new children’s specialist palliative care currency for local areas. CCGs may choose to use this when working with providers, such as hospices, to establish a framework for understanding specialist palliative care service need locally, and providers may find the currency model useful as a tool for demonstrating the increasing complexity of care provision and to make the case for local investment.